Attorney General's Office: No Indication Harrell Was Connected to Somer Case

2-13-2010 Florida:

Florida's Attorney General's office says Clay County authorities made no effort to fast-track the child porn investigation of the man now named as a person of interest in the kidnapping and killing of Somer Thompson.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office was made aware of possible child pornography on a computer owned by Jarred Harrell, 24, on August 10th. By September 25th, the Attorney General's Cyber Crimes unit had the computer to assist in forensic analysis.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General says that work began on October 9th and was completed November 12th.

Seven-year-old Somer Thompson was last seen walking home from Grove Park Elementary School October 19th.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office never asked for the analysis of Harrell's computer to be fast-tracked or made a top priority, Sandi Copes with the Attorney General's office told WOKV.

Copes says had a request been made it likely would have been honored and could have cut down the time for analysis to less than a week.

"I can tell you that as it relates to Jarred Harrell's computer, it was not discussed as it relates to the Somer Thompson case," Copes said

"I have the utmost confidence in the team working these cases and know--for a fact--that everything that could be done was done in regards to completing the Harrell child porn investigation and it was done in a timely manner and as quickly as the law allow," Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said in a written statement, in part due the reporting by WOKV.

"An investigation into any allegation of child pornography possession involves far more than simply establishing that a computer contains the illegal phots or movies. Detectives must be able to prove how it was acquired, who had possession and when," the statement continues.

In the police report released Thursday night by Clay County officials, deputies describe in vivid detail the types of video and images found on Harrell's computer.

"There was a large quantity of child erotica and pornography," the report says. "The forensic analysis also revealed that there were 15 images of child pornography that had been deleted from the computer."

Harrell was never publically named a person of interest in the Somer investigation until Thursday night and law enforcement in Lauderdale County, Mississippi tell WOKV Harrell has been living in Meridian in recent weeks.

"It certainly appears from the description in the police report that the materials were illegal," WOKV legal analyst Mark Rubin says. "And if they were, the question should be asked why it took so long to make an arrest."

The Clay County Sheriff's Office won't comment on the Somer Thompson investigation and what link there may be between Harrell and the murdered seven-year-old.

"To infer that the Harrell child pornography investigation somehow languished is unfair and inaccurate," Beseler concluded.

"If it turns out that this individual is in any way responsible for Somer Thompson's death, and it's premature to make that assumption at this point," Rubin says, "it is obviously an egregious situation and one that might have been avoidable." ..Source.. By Jared Halpern, Reporter