A Desert Hot Springs man accused of possessing hundreds of pornographic pictures and videos of children, as well as seeking to make contact with minors in person, will ask a judge Thursday to reduce his bail so he can get out of jail.
Ian Scott Whitney, 35, was arrested on June 16 following a Desert Hot Springs Police Department investigation stemming from an online sting handled by the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team, to which DHSPD personnel are assigned.
Whitney is charged with possession of child porn, arranging to meet a minor for illicit purposes, indecent exposure and two counts of contacting a minor with intent to perpetrate specific offenses.
He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment last month, and his public defender submitted a motion to Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini asking for a bail review hearing to determine whether the defendant might qualify for a reduction. He’s currently being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
The hearing is slated for Thursday morning.
According to a DHSPD statement posted to social media, Whitney was allegedly seeking out youths in online spaces and encountered undercover investigators from the Child Exploitation Team.
Details regarding the ensuing investigation were not specified. However, the team ultimately gathered sufficient evident to obtain and serve a warrant at the defendant’s residence in the 9500 block of San Rafael Drive, where he was taken into custody without incident on June 16.
The police department alleged Whitney was in “possession of more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material,” all of which was seized.
The defendant’s alleged efforts to meet up with minors were documented during his online activity, investigators said.
The basis for the indecent exposure count was unclear.
Whitney has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.