Trial date set for Pocatello man charged for child porn crimes
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POCATELLO — A man accused of possessing and distributing child pornography has been scheduled for a jury trial.
Joshua Christopher Tompkins, 34, pleaded not guilty to eight counts of possessing sexually exploitative material and two counts of distributing sexually exploitative material, court records show. He has been scheduled for jury trial before District Judge Javier Gabiola on May 16.
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Tompkins was arrested in January following a months-long investigation by several law enforcement agencies, including the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Officers who served a search warrant on his home found a phone belonging to Tompkins. A search of the phone uncovered numerous images and videos of “children being sexually abused” and others depicting “obvious nude children” being tortured.
Police reports showed that Tompkins’ ex-wife had contacted investigators about similar images she had previously discovered on his laptop.
Amanda Watkins, Tompkins’ ex-wife, told EastIdahoNews.com she informed police in Moses Lake, Washington, where the couple was living, about images she found on his computer. She said officers asked Tompkins about the images and accepted his response that he did not own a laptop.
“Honestly, I believe the best mistake he ever made was moving to Idaho because he finally got caught,” she said.
Watkins said she remained married to Tompkins for seven years – until 2018 — out of fear that he would gain custody of their shared child during a divorce. Due to the images, she discovered in his possession, she believes there was reason to fear his actions should he have been rewarded custody of the child.
When she finally did file for divorce, Watkins said she made an agreement with Tompkins — that she would not pursue child support if he agreed not to pursue custody.
“I just felt this wave of relief,” Watkins said in reference to learning of Tompkins’ arrest through news coverage. “Even though he signed away his rights to my child, I’ve still had it in the back of my mind that he is going to come and he’s going to take my kid away. I have nightmares about it.”
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Tompkins’ attorney for comment on the case but did not receive a response.
If he is found guilty, Tompkins could face up to 140 years in prison.