Disabled man free in child-porn case

A developmentally disabled Coeur d’Alene man was released Tuesday after spending a night in jail for alleged possession of child pornography.

Joseph A. Peterson, 40, was arrested Monday after a 14-year-old boy complained the man took pictures of him.

Though the teen was fully clothed when Peterson allegedly snapped the pictures, Coeur d’Alene Police detectives discovered three computer hard drives in Peterson’s residence which allegedly contained child pornography.

Peterson was held overnight in the Kootenai County Jail but released Tuesday after Magistrate Eugene Marano found there was not probable cause to hold him on the charge prosecutors had filed – felony sexual abuse of a child.

Prosecutors alleged that Peterson took pictures of the teen with the intent to gratify his sexual desires.

In recent years, Peterson has twice been charged with sex offenses. In both cases, the charges were dismissed after his attorneys argued that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Though Peterson has been released, the latest case has not been dismissed. Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Marty Raap did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Peterson, who is staying in his mother’s senior apartment in Coeur d’Alene, could not be reached for comment. His mother, Elsa Peterson, referred questions to Chief Deputy Public Defender Lynn Nelson.

Nelson said he was very familiar with Peterson and had represented him previously. He declined to comment on the latest charges.

The Spokesman-Review published an article in 1995 on Peterson, who is 4-foot-2 and weighs 76 pounds. The article and court records describe him as having a low IQ and suffering from numerous medical conditions, including forms of cystic fibrosis and autism.

Elsa Peterson told the newspaper then that her son was being harassed by construction workers and neighborhood kids who teased and labeled him a “pervert.”

The problem worsened, she said, after her son sold some X-rated magazines to one of the construction workers.

At the time, Joseph Peterson had no police record.

Police investigated a stalking complaint against Peterson in September 2000. A 30-year-old woman told police Peterson had been stalking her, phoning her and making sexually explicit comments. In October 2000 Peterson was charged with disseminating harmful material to minors after allegedly showing two children, ages 11 and 14, pictures of a nude woman.

In 2003 he was charged with sexual abuse of a child after a 15-year-old boy complained he was sleeping at the home of a mutual friend when he awoke to Peterson masturbating himself and fondling the boy.

As that case was pending, a cable installer reported Peterson displayed child pornography on his computer as the worker was installing high-speed Internet.

Both cases were dismissed.

Peterson’s latest contact with police came after the teenage grandson of a neighbor reported Peterson had asked him to sit on his bed, unbutton the top of his shirt and pose for pictures.

The teen told his mother that Peterson took digital pictures of him, according to police reports. He told his mother he was in Peterson’s apartment because Peterson had asked the teen for help carrying a computer printer into his bedroom.