By Mark Bowes
Richmond Times Dispatch
RICHMOND, Va. — A longtime member of Richmond’s emergency medical community was convicted yesterday of possessing child pornography that he downloaded to a computer he purchased through the Richmond Ambulance Authority.
Jesse E. Overstreet Jr., 51, who has been an emergency medical technician for much of his life and was a dispatcher for the ambulance authority at the time of his arrest, pleaded no contest to a single felony count in Chesterfield County Circuit Court. In exchange, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney B.J. McGee withdrew a second felony count of possession of child pornography.
Circuit Judge Michael C. Allen accepted Overstreet’s plea and set sentencing for Dec. 13. He also ordered Overstreet to undergo a psychological/sexual evaluation and have no access to computers other than to search for employment using a public library terminal.
Overstreet remains unemployed after resigning his position with the ambulance authority sometime after his March 11 arrest. He had worked there five years, most recently as a full-time dispatcher.
Overstreet, who had been involved with local emergency medical service for about 30 years, also worked as a volunteer with the Bensley-Bermuda Volunteer Rescue Squad in Chester.
According to evidence, Overstreet was arrested after his teenage daughter discovered the titles of pornographic photos and videos that had been downloaded to her father’s laptop. Overstreet’s computer was password-protected, but he provided the password to his daughter after she called him at work on Feb. 22 seeking to use his laptop to download some music.
Chesterfield police were contacted, and investigators seized Overstreet’s computer and examined its contents using a search warrant. They determined that Overstreet, of the 6000 block of Gatesgreen Drive in Chesterfield, had conducted 261 searches using one term commonly used to search for child pornography, McGee said.
Investigators found on Overstreet’s computer four pornographic videos involving girls believed to be as young as 10, the prosecutor said.
During a Feb. 23 interview with police, Overstreet acknowledged downloading all the material found on his computer. He told investigators that he had been searching for adult pornography, not child pornography specifically, but was “curious” about the content involving children.
Overstreet purchased his computer through the Richmond Ambulance Authority, which offered employees a discount for Gateway products, McGee said. The computer was not used for Overstreet’s job, he said.
Overstreet was regarded as a conscientious employee, officials said.
Copyright 2010 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.