Paso Robles man convicted of 52 sex crimes against children

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - A Paso Robles man was found guilty of more than 50 child sex crimes including sexual abuse and possession of child pornography.

Jason Robert Porter, 49, of Paso Robles was found guilty of 16 felony counts for crimes committed against four victims and 36 misdemeanor counts for videotaping victims without their knowledge. Porter was 36 when the crimes began.

Porter waived his right to a trial by jury and was found guilty by a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge.

During the six-day trial, evidence was presented that showed Porter had sexually abused four young girls between the ages of 1 and 13. The abuse happened over the span of more than eight years, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office said. Additionally, evidence was presented that showed Porter had videotaped 36 victims without their knowledge, leading to 36 misdemeanor charges for invasion of privacy.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said one of Porter's young victims testified in court.

“We sincerely applaud the courage of the young survivor who testified and the tenacity of the law enforcement personnel who gathered and reviewed all of the evidence – including 324 electronic devices and more than 4 terabytes of cyber data to prove these horrible crimes,” Dow said.

This case was investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department with the assistance of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and Central Coast Cyber Forensic Laboratory.

Porter is due back in court on June 28. He faces a maximum sentence of more than 300 years to life in prison.