The trial for a Paso Robles man charged with dozens of counts of child sex crimes will begin Tuesday, nearly five years after his initial arrest.
Jason Porter was first arrested in June 2016 after Paso Robles police say they responded to a disturbance outside a Paso Robles home and were told a man was seen taking lewd photographs of a 6-year-old girl.
As part of that investigation, police say a search warrant was served at the now 49-year-old's home where dozens of electronic devices and cameras were seized.
Police say thousands of pictures and videos of suspected child pornography were discovered, including some that investigators say appeared to have been manufactured by Porter.
Police add that some images showed the suspect “in the act of sexually molesting at least nine different juvenile girls.”
Porter was re-arrested and bail set at $7 million.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged him with 31 counts of child pornography and child sex crimes.
Porter waived the right to a jury trial, so San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Barry T. LaBarbera will hear testimony in the case and make the final ruling.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
Porter has remained behind bars at the San Luis Obispo County Jail since July 16, 2016, according to jail logs.
