Cops: Child porn suspect was down­loading at police station

A Santa Cruz County man arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography didn’t appear to help his case when investigators say he started downloading child pornography at the police station.

Detectives say as part of an investigation that began after Santa Cruz police received information from a child pornography task force, Walter Gafvert III was arrested and brought into police headquarters on Wednesday.

In searching his cell phones brought to the interview, Deputy Chief Steve Clark says investigators found that not only was Gafvert in possession of child pornography, but that he was “actually downloading child pornography at that very moment.”

Clark says the 48-year-old Gafvert confessed to what he termed a “child pornography and methamphetamine addiction.” Clark also says Gafvert gave graphic details of videos and images he sought from the Internet and even wrote a letter of apology.

During a search of Gafvert’s home in rural Boulder Creek, detectives say they found thousands of images depicting child pornography.

Investigators say there are no indications that local children are connected to the case, but detectives are working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as they comb through the thousands of images and videos in an effort to identify the children.

Clark says Gafvert was formerly involved in the adult pornography business under various aliases.