Kootenai County man gets 10 years in child porn case

WALLACE – A Kootenai County man was sentenced to 10 years on Wednesday after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material.

Marshall Bode, 27, of Post Falls was arrested in June of 2018, in Wallace. Upon a search of his cell phone, it was discovered that he had hundreds of illegal pornographic images and videos of children.

Bode was initially charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material, but to a deal and pled guilty to three of them back in February of this year.

Shoshone County prosecuting attorney Keisha Oxendine painted a graphic picture of what was discovered on Bode’s cell phone at law day on Wednesday, including penetrative photos of children as young as 5-years old.

Oxendine was candid as she spoke to Judge Scott Wayman concerning Bode and how he should be dealt with.

“As you can see from the charge counts and the defendant’s admissions, he is aroused by looking at sexually explicit photographs of children,” Oxendine said. “These charges are serious and the goals of sentencing require imposition of a substantial prison sentence. We think the defendant has a serious problem and society must be protected.”

She further discussed how this case is part of an even bigger issue and doubled down on her stance concerning Bode.

“The children in this case, known or unknown, are still children and these images exist because people like Mr. Bode who obtain them, share them, and exchange them, continue to solicit an industry that exploits children for the benefit of these individuals in our communities. These are individuals society needs to be protected from and Mr. Bode is one of those individuals.”

Prior to his sentencing, a visibly emotional Bode addressed Wayman and the court concerning his crimes.

“I’m very ashamed of what I’ve done,” Bode said. “It started in college and grew into what it is now.”

Bode went on further to openly request that he receive his sentence and that he plans on using his time in prison to seek as much treatment as possible.

He was also thankful that his family has chosen to stay by his side and support him as he attempts to overcome his addiction.

Oxendine did also mention that Bode was open and honest, as well as remorseful, throughout the legal process for his crimes.

Following Bode’s statement, Wayman handed down 10-year sentence- one for each of the three charges, which will run concurrently and be limited to no less than two years fixed with eight years indeterminate.

The initial investigation began with a search of Bode’s home in Post Falls by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force after they were alerted to an IP address downloading identified child pornography.

The IP address sent them to his physical address, but it was actually tied to his cell phone, which led the investigators to a hotel in Wallace where Bode was found. There he consented to a search of his cell phone where the images were discovered.

Bode did also submit to a polygraph test where it was confirmed that while he did possess pornographic images of children, he has never had any sexual contact with a child.

None of the images or videos were made or produced by Bode.