Two Men Sentenced on Child-Porn Charges

Two Santa Barbara men will have to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives — among other punishments — after they admitted to possessing and distributing child pornography, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Richard Hague Jr., 23, was sentenced Tuesday to one year in County Jail, four years of felony probation, and sex-offender therapy, in addition to joining the sex-offender registry. Hague will also have to pay $1,500 toward a trust fund for one of the children — who doesn’t live in the area — identified in his photograph collection. Stephen Crawford, 54, who was sentenced in September, will also have to put $5,000 toward two trust funds, one of which is the same one that Hague will contribute to. He will also have to spend 270 days in County Jail and enter sex-offender treatment.

The two men didn’t know each other, Senior Deputy District Attorney Paula Waldman said in a prepared statement. “I often hear that possessing images of child pornography is really a victimless crime, but nothing could be further from the truth,” she said. “The emotional and psychological ramifications of being photographed and video-recorded while being molested stay with these children forever.”

Anthony Davis, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted Hague, also released a statement: “By collecting restitution payments for children who were molested, video-recorded, and photographed, the District Attorney’s Office hopes to help support their healing process and discourage others from possessing these illegal photos and videos.”

The DA’s Office worked on the cases with the Los Angeles Area Crimes Against Children Task Force.