The father-in-law of a missing Utah woman (Susan Powell) on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing child pornography and secretly videotaping her, other women and young girls without their knowledge.
Steven Powell, 61, entered the pleas in court in Washington state on Friday. A judge has set bail at $200,000.
Powell was arrested on Thursday at this home in Puyallup, a city south of Seattle.
Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said Powell was charged with 14 felony counts of voyeurism and one count of possession of child pornography. He said police found “thousands of images of females being videotaped without their knowledge, including Susan Powell,” on tapes and discs seized from his home during an Aug. 25 search as part of their investigation into her disappearance.
“The photographer focuses on the women’s buttocks, breasts,” Lindquist said in a statement. “Many images were of minor females.”
The images included shots of two girls who were as young as 8 and 10 years old at the time, the prosecutor said.
Josh Powell, as well as his two sons, had been living with Steven Powell in Puyallup, but a lawyer for the Washington state attorney general on Friday said the boys are now in foster care.
Susan Powell’s father, Chuck Cox, on Friday sought custody of the boys, but a court official said he would not decide until after a child services investigation.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, West Valley City, Utah police, who are investigating Susan Powell’s disappearance, said Steven Powell’s arrest was not related to the missing persons case.
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