Yavapai County indicts 2 Verde Sante Fe men for child porn

A Yavapai County grand jury on March 9 indicted two Verde Santa Fe men on several charges each of sexual exploitation of a minor, as well as other charges.

Joshua James WhitleyJoshua Whitley, 31, was charged on molestation and attempted molestation of a girl under the age of 15 between August 2007 and August 2008, according to court documents.

Under a separate case number, he was also charged with seven counts of sexual exploitation in connection with images of minors involved in sexual conduct. All charges are class 2 felonies.

Edward Bernard Maloney III, 47, was indicted on 12 counts of sexual exploitation in connection with videos of minors involved in sexual conduct, according to court documents.

Under a separate case number, he also was charged with three counts of possession or use of a dangerous drug — trenbolone, nandrolone and testosterone — and three counts of  misconduct involving weapons during the commission of a felony [the drug charges]. The firearms were a Glock, a Keltec and a Taurus. All are class 4 felonies.

The charges arose from a search warrant conducted by Homeland Security Investigations at 6250 Distant View Court, in Verde Sante Fe, before 7 a.m. Thursday, March 3.

According to nearby homeowners, roughly 15 vehicles were at the scene uniformed and plain clothes officers participated in serving the search warrant, some with “HSI” on their jackets.

According to nearby homeowners, some officers wore light armor, and most were carrying sidearms or rifles.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in securing the scene around the incident.

Neither the HSI nor the YCSO would comment on the operation.

Yavapai County Deputy Attorney Dennis McGrane did not return a phone message seeking comment on the indictment.

Michael Rinker

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