A 36-year-old Green Valley man who pleaded guilty to multiple sex-related charges was sentenced Friday to 17 years in prison.
In November 2008, a Green Valley family told Pima County sheriff's deputies that William Edward O'Rourke had barged his way into their home and into the bedroom of a 12-year-old boy, according to court records. The boy said O'Rourke was armed with a knife and forced him to the ground.
The boy also told deputies O'Rourke had shown him pornographic movies more than a dozen times and they had masturbated together while watching them, court documents state.
O'Rourke was indicted on burglary and aggravated assault charges along with public sexual indecency to a minor and furnishing obscene materials to a minor. He was later indicted on sexual exploitation of a minor charges after authorities found O'Rourke was in possession of child pornography.
People are also reading…
O'Rourke pleaded guilty to two sexual-exploitation charges, plus the indecency and obscene-materials charges.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Ryan Schmidt asked Judge Howard Fell to give O'Rourke a lengthy prison sentence.
Schmidt pointed out that O'Rourke told a probation officer he didn't know how the child porn got into his belongings, despite the fact he actually filmed some of it. In addition, O'Rourke claimed the victim merely walked in on him once while he was watching pornography and masturbating, Schmidt said.
The boy's mother asked Fell for a lengthy sentence as well, saying "it's going to happen again" once O'Rourke is released.
O'Rourke met the boy while the boy's mother was working for him at a bowling alley.
Defense attorney Richard Gierloff asked for leniency. He told the judge that Arizona's sentencing scheme is skewed because sexual exploitation is considered a "dangerous crime against children" just like sexual assault of a minor.
As a result, the minimum sentence in Arizona for that charge is 10 years, whereas in other states 10 years is the maximum sentence, Gierloff said.
Gierloff pointed out that O'Rourke's possession of the pornography didn't involve physical violence.
Schmidt argued the children caught on tape are still victims, even if their identities may never be known.
O'Rourke was sentenced to prison terms of 17 and 10 years for the two sexual-exploitation counts and 1 1/2 years and 2 1/2 years on the sexual-indecency and obscene-materials charges, respectively.
All of the sentences will be served concurrently.
On StarNet: Go to azstarnet.com/news/local/crime if you want to read more about crime in Tucson, or check out the StarNet Police Beat blog at go.azstarnet.com/policebeat
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
