Harrell pleads not guilty to child porn, molestation charges

[MysticFlower]

Harrell pleads not guilty to child porn, molestation charges
Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010


GREEN COVE SPRINGS — Jarred Harrell pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning in Clay County court to 55 counts of child pornography, including two counts of molesting a young girl. His next court appearance was set for April 8.

Harrell, 24, has been named a person of interest in the Oct. 19 Somer Thompson disappearance and slaying, but no charges have been filed against him in that unsolved case. He has been in custody since being arrested Feb. 11 in Mississippi on a child pornography warrant and extradited to Clay County a few weeks ago.

This morning's one-minute arraignment involved two separate cases in which Harrell is represented by the public defender's office. Assistant public defender Kate Bedell, who heads the agency's office in Clay County, stood next to Harrell and entered the not guilty pleas before Circuit Judge John Skinner.

Harrell, wearing a grey-and-white jail jumpsuit, shackles and handcuffs with a chain around his waist, said nothing before being returned to his isolation cell in the Clay County jail. He is being held without bail.

Clay County jail records released to The Times-Union today show that Harrell has had two sets of visitors: his public defenders and, last week, his mother, Annis Dailey. Those meetings were not recorded, authorities said. Dailey, in a phone call she had with her son when he was being held in Mississippi, spoke of providing him an alibi if he was ever charged in the Somer Thompson case. Dailey has not returned several Times-Union messages seeking comment.

Harrell was arrested Feb. 11 in Meridian, Miss., on a Clay County warrant charging him with 29 counts of possession of child pornography. Those charges came after Harrell's former Orange Park roommates went to police in August with graphic images they said they found on his laptop and computer discs. Police did not complete processing the material until after Somer's death.

The second case, filed two weeks ago and enhanced with additional charges Tuesday, involves allegations that Harrell molested a young girl in 2008 and used her in pornographic video and digital pictures. The images were found on a digital camera taken by investigators during a search of the Callahan home of Harrell's mother, records show.

The girl, between the ages of 3 and 5, is known to Harrell's family and her mother told police the incidents occurred in Harrell's bedroom at 1152 Gano Ave. in Orange Park.

Harrell has not responded to a Times-Union request for an interview.

Sheriff Rick Beseler named Harrell a person of interest in the disappearance and slaying of Somer, 7. The announcement came after Harrell's Feb. 11 arrest on the child-pornography charges, but the sheriff has not said what evidence investigators have that may link him to the slaying.

Somer disappeared while walking home from school on Gano Avenue, having last been seen near the Harrell family home. Investigators have also obtained DNA samples from Harrell and his father as part of the case, his father said.

Ann Dugger, executive director of the Justice Coalition victim's advocates group, appeared in court today on behalf of Somer's mother, Diena Thompson. After the appearance, Dugger called Thompson and softly spoke to her about the proceedings and what to expect next. Across the street, about a dozen motorcyclists and supporters of Somer's mother waved at cars in front of signs demanding "Justice for Somer."

"Do you hear all those horns blowing?" a smiling Dugger said into the phone.

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http://jacksonville.com/community/cl...tation_charges

[MysticFlower]

In the latest documents released, they indicate Harrell took pictures of a young girl around the same age as Somer Thompson in a bedroom in the home on Gano Avenue. That's not far from where Somer was last seen in October.

In some of the pictures, authorities said Harrell's hands are visible.

Neighbors hope Harrell will soon no longer be person of interest in the slaying of Somer. They want him to become the primary suspect.

"Knowing that 55 charges of child molestation and videos and things like that, it turns my stomach because I have young kids," neighbor Doug Cline said.

Cline lives just a few houses down from Somer's home, where a memorial still stands.

"If you're innocent, why not talk to police and clear your name from that part of the investigation from being a person of interest," Cline said.

The state attorney's office said the 26 new charges stem from a memory stick found in a home where Harrell was arrested in February in Mississippi.

Officials with the Clay County Sheriff's Office said they can't talk about why Harrell is a person of interest, and neighbors are hoping they will very soon.

"Lets all sit back and find out exactly what they have, and if he did it, let him have it," Cline said.

After Harrell's arraignment, he was returned back to his isolation cell. He remains jailed without bond and is already looking at a life sentence in prison.

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http://www.wesh.com/crime/22800665/detail.html