Computer tech stumbles across a predator's motherload illicit content immediately calls police where they set up a sting to catch the predator.
In Stevens Point, Wisconsin (Portage County), Gary Johnson brought his laptop into Cody Electronics Repair to resolve a broken Wi-Fi connection caused by an operating system update.
When the repair technician realized the system required a complete reinstallation of Windows, he called Johnson to ask if any files needed backing up before wiping the drive. Johnson’s exact instruction: "As long as you can back up the pictures, that’s all I care about."
Following standard repair procedures to secure the client’s data, the technician opened the main pictures directory. Set to extra-large thumbnail view, the folder immediately displayed over 7,300 files containing deeply disturbing, illicit images of underage girls—some as young as toddler age.
Recognizing the severity of the material, the technician quietly closed the folder, told Johnson the laptop would be ready for pickup the next morning, and contacted the police department.
When Johnson returned to the shop the following day expecting a fixed computer, Stevens Point detectives were waiting outside.
During questioning, Johnson attempted to excuse the massive collection as an innocent "hobby," claiming he started saving images off the internet after his personal camera was stolen years ago.
He then offered an absurd cover story, stating he was assembling a collection of "the most beautiful girls in the world" to submit to Getty Publishing. When detectives confronted him about the explicitly illegal content, he repeatedly offered to simply take the laptop home and "eliminate" the files himself, completely failing to understand that possession alone is a severe felony.
Johnson was taken into custody on the scene and transported to Portage County Jail, with a stop made at his apartment to retrieve necessary daily medication.
Forensic analysts at the regional crime lab subsequently cataloged hundreds of flagged illicit files alongside extensive search histories, forwarding the findings to the District Attorney's Office for formal prosecution.
His case is on going in the as it is being set up for trial. Once more info is available we will revisit.