Police are only halfway done going through computer files of an Anchorage man arrested on child pornography charges, but a detective said what she has already seen is "horrific."
Kevin Dale Callander, 44, was charged Wednesday with 13 felony counts related to child pornography and abuse of minors. He is being held without bail, and he was arraigned Thursday in Anchorage.
Lt. Nancy Reeder of the Anchorage Police Department Cyber Crimes Unit said the case is particularly disturbing because the children depicted were local.
Reeder said the crimes are so heinous it is difficult even for seasoned investigators.
"It is more traumatizing for the victims than it is for us, and that's what we look at," she said.
Police said they started looking in to Callander in August, and he was arrested this week.
From the outside, he may have seemed normal.
Police said he served in the military. According to social media, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service. And Reeder said many people who knew him were shocked at the charges.
Reeder said investigators have learned there isn't a standard profile for people who commit crimes against children. "It just doesn't matter if you're rich, poor, middle class-whatever. It just has no bounds anywhere," she said.
"It's scary."
Police believe there are other victims in Anchorage or Florida, where Callander's family lives. Some the difficulty of charging Callander with more crimes is that victims could be reluctant to come forward. Reeder said sometimes it takes a long time.
"We have disclosures on sexual abuse of minor cases that can come back 20 or 30 years later," Reeder said.
Police said the abuse began long before the children appeared on camera. Reeder explained how the children do not appear upset and are not crying.
"They've been groomed." she said. "It's normal behavior to them. Predators normalize it and say that it's okay to be touched like that."
While law enforcement works to research potential crimes, Reeder said all parents should communicate with their kids. She said parents should teach them what is appropriate.
"If your children tell you something, you believe them," she said. "You don't turn them away. You believe what they tell you and have law enforcement look into it."