EVERETT — An Everett man who ended his 7-year-old son’s life in a car crash while racing down Evergreen Way in 2012 is now accused of carrying around a cellphone filled with child pornography.
John Alves, 35, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, a felony. He pleaded not guilty and his bail was set at $10,000 Monday. He’s remained in jail since.
Alves was sentenced to prison in 2015 for causing the death of his son. The second-grade boy was in the front seat of Alves’ BMW while the defendant raced another vehicle and crashed head-on into a minivan. The child died at the scene. Blood tests later showed Alves was intoxicated from marijuana.
Since release from prison, he’s racked up convictions for assault, theft and driving with his license revoked, according to documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court. In May, he allegedly tried to outrun police while towing a stolen trailer behind a pickup truck.
The porn investigation began in June after a family member, in trouble over an auto theft, told Everett police that Alves had a cellphone that appeared to contain hundreds of images of nude boys ranging in age from 5 to 15, deputy prosecutor Justin Harleman said in court papers. The person told police the images became visible when Alves charged his phone in a motel room where they both had been hanging out.
A detective tracked down Alves and confronted him. He initially denied having a phone, but there was one in his left front pocket, court papers say. He offered differing explanations about whose phone it was and how it came to be in his possession. The detective seized and secured the phone and then obtained a search warrant to examine its contents.
Police used forensic software to copy all of the data from the phone. They found hundreds of images of apparent child pornography, Harleman wrote. The data also reportedly showed that Alves was using the phone for social media, including Facebook.
It wasn’t until early January that police were able to track Alves to a home that is described in court papers as isolated and surrounded by woods. The homeowner went to get him when police arrived. About a half an hour passed before the man came back to report that Alves was trying to hide in the crawl space.
After his arrest, Alves reportedly agreed to speak with detectives. “The defendant said the allegations were ridiculous,” Harleman wrote.
Among other things, Alves reportedly said the problematic images were put there by people who dislike him and have sufficient computer skills to make him appear responsible.
“Although John acknowledged that the Facebook messages were his communication, he continued to deny that the child porn images were his,” the prosecutor wrote.
Alves also is wanted on a warrant from Oregon. He has a felony conviction from 2002 for possessing methamphetamine.
Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snorthnews.
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