When the Canadian County Sheriff's Office arrested a man suspected of distributing child pornography to an undercover officer, they found more than they expected.

Investigators say the 19-year-old Clinton man, who lived with his parents, had installed hidden cameras in the bathrooms and showers of the home in order to capture explicit images of unsuspecting victims.

The Canadian County Sheriff's Office began investigating Domingo Isaac Hernandez after they say the man distributed child pornography to an undercover officer. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force members traced the images to a computer at Hernandez's parents' home. 

Investigators serving a search warrant determined that Hernandez had wiped his computer in an attempt to conceal any crime; however, they say they were able to recover multiple thumb drives containing pornographic images of children.

During the search, they also found the hidden cameras installed in the bathrooms of the house. Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said the discovery was unexpected: “We knew before we ever got there we were about to take down a child pornographer, but were a little surprised to learn of his hidden camera network inside the house."

Investigators say they are in the process of interviewing alleged victims and seeking to identify every possible victim.

Hernandez was arrested after the search. He was booked into the Custer County Jail on complaints of aggravated possession of child pornography, manufacturing child pornography, lewd acts with a child under 16, and violation of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.

Aggravated possession of child pornography refers to the possession of 100 or more sexually explicit images of children. Under the law, found in 21 O.S. § 1040.12a, the images may be either separate images or multiple copies of the same image. The maximum penalty for aggravated possession of child pornography is life in prison.

Manufacturing child pornography, under 21 O.S.  § 1021.2, is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Lewd acts with a child under 16 is punishable according to the age of the child. If the minor involved is aged 12 or older, the crime is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison; however, if the child is under 12, the sentence is 20 years to life in prison (21 O.S. § 1123).

Under the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, it is a felony to use a computer or computer network to violate state law. This adds a potential 5-year sentence, separate from and additional to any sentence for the underlying crime.

Read more about child pornography laws in Oklahoma, or call 405-417-3842 to schedule a confidential, risk-free consultation with a defense attorney.