Man gets 7 years for child porn

Jerry Brobst of Bigfork will serve seven years in prison for possession and receipt of child pornography.

Brobst, 62, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

He also received a $15,000 fine, lifetime supervision after his release, and the forfeiture of his computer equipment.

He was convicted after a one-day trial.

Brobst was arrested by Lake County Sheriff's deputies in July 2006 on child pornography charges after a contractor doing work at his home found pictures of a naked 6- or 7-year-old girl.

The contractor told sheriff's deputies, who obtained a warrant and searched Brobst's home.

Officers found enough pictures of children in sexually explicit positions printed off the Internet to fill 28 pages, according to evidence introduced at trial.

Brobst, who came home during the search, admitted the pornography was his, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Investigators conducted a forensic analysis of Brobst's computer, which turned up numerous images and videos of child pornography. Investigators found images of children clearly under age 12, and children engaged in sadistic or masochistic abuse and other depictions of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Investigators found nothing that indicated Brobst produced his own pornography.

Lake County officials dismissed local child pornography charges against Brobst in August 2006 with the understanding he would be tried in federal court.

Before his arrest, Brobst was human resources director for Flathead Electric Cooperative in Kalispell and served on the state Board of Personnel Appeals. He retired from the Flathead Electric position and was removed by the governor from the state board.

Brobst for years had been an active part of the Bigfork community and local theater groups.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com