Arizona ruling could make child sex exploitation tougher to prosecute

PHOENIX — Child sexual exploitation cases may be a little more difficult to prosecute in Arizona because of a Thursday state appeals court ruling.

The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled the state must prove that a person charged with taking pictures or videos of minors was doing it for sexual stimulation. Current law simply requires proving the children in the images are engaged in sexual conduct.

The ruling happened in the case of Cochise County resident Robert Daniel Chandler.

He was accused two years ago of setting up a hidden camera and videotaped his teenage daughters while they were in the bathroom.

Chandler was eventually convicted of three counts of sexually exploiting a minor. He was sentenced to just over 26 years in prison, followed by lifetime probation.

In Chandler’s appeal, he argued his daughters were not engaged in sexual conduct in the videos. Therefore, under state law, he was not guilty of child sexual exploitation.

The court agreed prosecutors could apply either standard. However, the panel did uphold Chandler’s convictions.

The court noted he admitted thinking of stimulating himself while videotaping the children.

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