DALE COUNTY, Ala. (WDHN) — The mother of one of the victims of a recent Dale County child pornography sting is challenging the series of bonds given to the case’s suspect.
On Nov. 25, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office arrested Jason Park, 39, on 10 child porn possession charges. Court records described the existence of numerous videos involving toddlers and other children.
“The proof is right there,” said the victim’s mother, who will not be identified to protect the child’s identity. “He can argue it in court, but until then he needs to be locked up.”
As more evidence was discovered, authorities arrested Park again three different times for charges involving first-degree sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a child under 12, bestiality, and child porn production. Each time, he has bonded out with additional conditions to wear an ankle monitor, not make contact with children, animals aside from his father’s dog, and other matters.
Bond was previously a point of contention between the Attorney General’s Office and court decisions made by Judge Stanley Garner since the original bond amounts for the felony charges were far below the recommended minimum range and the office did not have a chance to offer their argument on the matter.
“Given the nature of these offenses, Defendant poses a danger to others and the public at large and this factor should have been considered before setting a bond well below the recommended bail schedule,” a previous motion to amend bond stated.
Court records show that the bond amounts for the latest sex abuse and child porn production are higher now, but for the victim’s mother, this is not enough, even with the suspect’s lack of prior convictions.
“Why would anybody think it’s a good idea to let someone like this just walk the streets, stay in the comfort of his own home?” she said. “I mean, none of these cases go by fast.”
According to the mother, she learned her child was reportedly victimized after reading of the initial charges through local media. Authorities had been contacting the families of children who had spent time at Park’s home in an attempt to identify the children seen in the videos, whose faces were hidden from view of the camera.
The mother said even though her child’s face was not seen, the investigation was able to identify the victim through “distinguishing features” that matched the mother’s description. In that video, the suspect is alleged to have molested the child while they slept.
The victim’s family and Park’s family had reportedly known each other for quite some time, but the mother said she never saw any red flags from the suspect. In fact, she trusted her child would be safe.
“I’m still at a loss myself because I am careful,” she said. “I don’t let (the child) have social media. All of (the child’s) friends come to our house. There’s literally (just) two people I let (the child) spend the night with.”
The victim’s mother said she wanted to let parents know that they can’t be too careful and that they can’t trust anyone when it comes to a child’s safety.
“They say that sometimes it can be just your Average Joe next door; that’s exactly it,” she said.
According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), 95 percent of sex abuse cases are committed by someone the victim knew. Fifty-nine percent of that amount are acquaintances.
