Fairbanks man arrested on child pornography charges
April 6, 2022, (ANCHORAGE) – A multi-agency task force arrested a Fairbanks man on possession of child pornography charges during a multi-day operation in Interior Alaska in February 2022. 28-year-old Fairbanks resident Reuben Spencer was indicted March 29th by a grand jury on 15 counts of possession of child pornography.
The arrest resulted from Operation Northern Solstice, an operation by the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force included Alaska State Troopers (AST), Anchorage Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agents.
During the investigation, the task force served 45 search warrants, and seized 88 items. A digital forensic analyst with the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, Digital Forensic Laboratory screened 17 items on scene and found evidence of child pornography.
“I am proud of the work done by the Alaska State Troopers, our Digital Forensic Laboratory, and our law enforcement partners in this operation,” said Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell. “The Alaska Department of Public Safety is committed to holding anyone accountable that possess or distributes child pornography.”
Law enforcement also contacted 18 people on the sex offender registry list to verify compliance with the program.
“These joint efforts are key to preventing child exploitation, allowing for HSI to provide federal law enforcement expertise to the furthest extent,” said Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest “Our agents will continue to tirelessly support our partner agencies to increase community safety in Alaska and beyond.”
Operation Northern Solstice is the result of Alaska’s law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level working closely together. The Alaska ICAC is part of the National ICAC, a network of sixty-one (61) coordinated task forces representing over 5,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. These agencies are continually engaged in proactive and reactive investigations and prosecutions of persons involved in child abuse and exploitation involving the internet.
These cases are being prosecuted out of the Alaska Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions. These charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.