Man faces 766 counts of possessing child pornography
By Kim Hackett
Published Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last updated Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 4:38 a.m.
VENICE — A man was arrested and charged with 766 counts of possession of child pornography Wednesday, three months after computer technicians spotted hundreds of graphic photos of children on his computer and called police.
Douglas Monks, 57, who lives and manages an apartment building in the 1200 block of Barbara Drive, is being held at the county jail on $250,000 bail.
Monks' "My Documents" folder contained a file called "preteen gay porn"
and contained about 4,000 images, said Venice police spokesman Tom McNulty. He said police could clearly identify 766 underage victims, boys and girls, some as young as about 5, McNulty said. The pictures included child rape, he said.
McNulty said the graphic images of children and adults engaging in sexual acts were "so disgusting that our investigators had to stop" what they were doing to regain their composure. "We charged him with every one of them. We're not going to tolerate it; it's disgusting."
Police have the discretion to charge someone with a felony for every file or video image.
The pornography was mixed in with files of family pictures, McNulty said.
Monks was brought to the attention of police after he took his computer to a repair shop in March and technicians saw the images while backing up his computer. The shop called police.
On March 20, police obtained a warrant and during a search found marijuana and arrested Monks for possession. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement assisted with the investigation and retrieved the pornographic files from his computer. In June, the FDLE turned the computer and the investigation over to Venice police.
Police have not identified any local children in the photos.
"We are continuing the investigation and checking some other avenues," McNulty said.
Monks, who divorced in 2004 after being married for 29 years, has lived in the Venice area for about two years. He was born in Alabama, where he lived until moving to Port Charlotte in 1998, according to public records. Other than the March arrest, Monks has no Florida criminal record.
If convicted, Monks could face five to 15 years in prison for each photo, said Dawn Buff, assistant state attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit.
A recent change in state law allows children identified in pornographic images to sue whoever possesses them, she said.
