Former S-R staffer denies child porn charges

A Spokane man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 21 counts of possessing child pornography that police allege he obtained while working as an online marketing developer for The Spokesman-Review.

Zachary L. Likarich, 29, appeared Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Michael Price. Likarich answered “not guilty” as Price read each of the 21 counts, officially called “depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit contact.”

Likarich and his attorney, John Perry, declined comment after the hearing.

Likarich was fired from the newspaper Jan. 22, which is the same day the newspaper’s online publisher, Ken Sands, and an attorney reviewed the contents of a computer that had been assigned to Likarich and contacted police.

He had been hired on Oct. 5, 2005, as a graphic designer and later transferred to the online marketing department. Spokane police Detective Jerry Keller said in court records that a newspaper photo archivist discovered the sexually explicit photographs and movies of children as young as 5 when she opened a computer folder on the company’s internal network.

Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Price set Likarich’s trial for Sept. 10.