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Adam Balden
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A Saline man was arrested last week after police cracked his e-mail account password and discovered dozens of pornographic pictures of girls appearing to range in age from as young as eight up to the mid teens.
"The pictures were graphic and very disturbing," said Saline Detective Don Lupi of the findings.
Adam Richard Balden, 23, was arraigned Sunday in Washtenaw County District Court on one count of possession of child sexually abusive material and one count of using computers to commit a crime.
Police began investigating Balden after they received a tip earlier this month that his e-mail account held "disturbing" pictures, according to police reports.
After investigating, police obtained a warrant to search Balden's residence July 10. Balden was not home when three Saline police officers arrived to execute the warrant, but the landlord let them in the apartment, according to reports.
Police searched and photographed the room and left a copy of the warrant on the door. They confiscated two computers, a storage disk, video tapes and CD-Roms, and additional equipment, as well as pieces of paper with computer-related information written on them.
A Saline police officer trained in computer forensics then attempted to gain access to Balden's Yahoo e-mail account. While the officer had Balden's user name, his password was not known. The officer attempted to change the password using Balden's account name and date of birth, but a security question also needed answering. The question was "Who was your childhood hero?" Recalling that written on some scraps of paper on Balden's desk had been "bwayne," the officer answered the security question "Bruce Wayne" and was immediately allowed to change the password and gain access to Balden's e-mail account.
"We're very fortunate to have an officer who is trained in cyber crime investigations," said Lupi. "This officer has done a lot of work over and above a standard investigation."
Even as police were cracking into his e-mail and scanning his computer's hard drive for additional pornographic material, Balden called the Saline Police Department to report that his apartment had been broken into. He told responding officers that someone could have planted "stuff" in his room and on his computer, according to reports.
Balden denied having seen the search warrant left by police. After he was arrested, he continued to claim he had been framed.
Balden had been arrested earlier that same day after police stopped him for speeding at about 1 a.m. July 10 and determined he was intoxicated, according to reports. Saline police also arrested Balden June 17 for drunk driving and July 1 for disorderly conduct.
It's not clear who the girls in the photographs are or where the pictures were taken, according to investigators.
"We have not identified all of the individuals in the pictures," said Lupi, "but it does not appear that (Balden) was the one taking the pictures."
"Keep in mind, this stuff is traded around the world," said Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Mackie.
Mackie's office requested Balden's preliminary trial be adjourned to Aug. 19 to give investigators more time to complete an examination of Balden's computer.
"It's a time consuming, expensive process," Mackie said.
"We have not done a full forensic work up on (Balden's) computer yet," said Saline Police Chief Paul Bunten. "We hope to have a complete forensics evaluation done."
The University of Michigan Police Department has offered to assist with the forensics investigation, which could take about a month.
The charge of possessing child sexually abusive material carries a penalty of four years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The charge of using a computer to commit a crime is a felony punishable by up to seven years in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com. Intern Dan Faas also contributed to this report.
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