Prosecutors: Child pornographer caught developing film at Bartell’s says its ‘art’ Des Moines man, 65 charged with child pornography production, child molestation

A Des Moines man accused of trying to develop lewd photos of a 6-year-old girl at a Bartell Drugs there now faces child pornography charges.

A photo technician at the Des Moines pharmacy developing a roll of 35 mm film dropped off by William L. Wolfe grew concerned about the photos. King County prosecutors contend the 65-year-old’s photos show a girl being abused.

Confronted by police, Wolfe is alleged to have offered a different explanation – the nude photos, he purportedly told police, are his art.

In charging papers filed earlier in October, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cecelia Gregson dismissed the contention outright.

“While (Wolfe) purports to have been taking artistic images of this little girl … (detectives) revealed the true motivations behind the defendant’s sexually posed and lascivious images,” Gregson told the court.

Des Moines police were called to the pharmacy on Sept. 25 after a photo technician there developed 28 photos from film dropped off by Wolfe. According to charging papers, the images showed a young girl nude or lightly dressed posing for the photographer.

Investigators learned Wolfe dropped off the film 10 days before under an assumed name, a Des Moines detective said in charging papers. Detectives examining the photos recognized several Des Moines-area landmarks, including a sign for an elementary school there.

As the day wore on, police identified the girl and learned she was associated with Wolfe. The detective said in court papers that Wolfe was arrested the following day at the Bartell’s after arriving to pick up his photos.

Detectives questioned Wolfe, who admitted to taking photos of the girl on several occasions, the detective continued. Wolfe is alleged to have told investigators he had a second packet of photos waiting for him at the pharmacy, as well as a disposable camera he was waiting to develop.

According to charging papers, Wolfe told detective he took the photos of the girl to “document her pre-pubescent body parts so when she was an adult she would know what her body looked like.”

The detective went on to claim Wolfe had inappropriate sexual contact with the girl on several occasions.

Wolfe has been charged with first-degree child molestation, second-degree possession of child pornography and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a state offense similar to production of child pornography. His attorney declined to comment on the allegations when contacted Friday.

Wolfe faces 12 to 16 ½ years in state prison if convicted as charged. Gregson noted he may also face federal prosecution for producing child pornography, which would carry a mandatory 15-year sentence if successful.

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Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.