A man was arrested after an undercover investigation revealed he was sexually abusing at least one child and filming the acts for potential distribution, according to the Anchorage Police Department.
Greg Cole Bucknell, 59, was arrested March 5 at his home outside of Fairbanks, according to a statement from APD. His arrest was the result of an undercover investigation conducted by Detective Mark Thomas.
During his investigation, Thomas discovered videos depicting sexual abuse of children as young as 4 years old using the Ares P2P file sharing software. One user claimed to have 585 “files of interest” available for download, meaning files containing “child pornography, child erotica, or incest related materials,” according to Thomas’ affidavit.
The public IP address of that account was linked by General Communications, Inc. (GCI) to a Fairbanks residence on the 2000 block of Eagan Avenue, as well as a business on the 5000 block of Haystack Drive, known as Summit Telephone Company.
Further investigation showed the company provided internet service to homes in the area that were outside the reach of GCI. Bucknell’s home address, which was given to police by Summit Telephone Company, was determined using the private IP address linked to the Ares account.
A search warrant served at that location revealed additional photos and videos, some showing Bucknell sexually assaulting girls between the ages of 6 and 11 years old.
APD spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said Wednesday that the devices seized during the search were still being examined by the APD Cyber Crimes unit, and that an estimate of the amount of explicit footage and imagery found was not yet available.
During an interview with investigators, Bucknell admitted to viewing child pornography since “at least the late 1990′s,” according to court documents.
Police stated the complex nature of the case required assistance from the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions, APD, Fairbanks police, Alaska State Troopers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Marshals, all of whom were on scene during the arrest.
Bucknell was initially held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center, according to APD, but has since been transferred to the Anchorage Correctional Complex as some of the crimes portrayed in footage found may have occurred in Anchorage.
Bucknell faces two counts of distributing child pornography and four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor. During his arraignment Thursday, Bucknell pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to prosecuting attorney Adam Alexander with the Alaska Attorney General’s Office of Special Prosecutions. Alexander says bail was set at $200,000 cash, along with the requirement of a third-party custodian. Additional charges are pending in the case, according to Castro.
Castro says police believe there are more victims in this case. They are asking anyone with information to call the Anchorage Cyber Crimes unit at 786-8500.