By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A man already on sexual offender probation after previously pleading guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor is back in jail after investigators found new images on the suspect’s electronic devices.
Kyle Matthew Harvey, 29, was arrested and booked into the Graham Count Adult Detention Facility on March 27 on three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after an investigation located images of child sex abuse material (CSAM) and a video of a child between the ages of 2 and 5 years old being sexually abused on Harvey’s electronic devices. The investigation was initiated after the Thatcher Police Department received a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children regarding the above-mentioned video being downloaded and linked to a SnapChat account belonging to Harvey. However, since Harvey used an address purportedly outside of Thatcher’s jurisdiction, the case was turned over to the Graham County Sheriff’s Office.
Harvey was previously convicted on three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor on Oct. 11, 2018, and was sentenced to 5 years of incarceration followed by lifetime sexual offender probation.
In that case, he was arrested after sending nine images of CSAM to a woman he was wooing in Tucson.
During the subsequent police investigation, authorities learned Harvey had been molested by a cousin – possibly repeatedly – between the ages of 4 and 10 when he lived in Jasper, Texas. Harvey then went on to have sexual issues in his teen years, when he got in trouble for stealing his mother’s bank card and using it to download pornography, including an image of a child being molested. Harvey received treatment and went through juvenile court in Arkansas but then got into more trouble due to his propensity to openly masturbate and was charged with exposing himself to his then 8- or 9-year-old sister, according to police reports. Harvey’s mother claims Harvey is autistic and his behavior is caused, in part, because of his affliction with Asperger syndrome, which is a previously separate subtype of autism. The disorder is characterized by difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication and restricted and repetitive behavior patterns.
When questioned by police regarding his latest possession of CSAM, Harvey allegedly admitted to using the material for sexual gratification purposes but denied remembering sending any of the material to anyone else and said he would not perform such acts on children himself.
In addition to the new charges, a petition to revoke Harvey’s probation was filed on April 3.
