New details have emerged in the case against ex-New Found Glory guitarist Steve Klein, who was charged with child pornography and lewd conduct felonies in December last year.
The San Luis Obispo Tribune is reporting that Klein’s ex-wife, Amanda Klein gave evidence against him at a pre-trial hearing on Thursday, April 10. Ms. Klein testified that in September 2012, just days after she had filed for divorce from Klein, she opened an external hard drive the couple had used to store movies in an attempt to find proof he had been having an affair.
Ms. Klein stated that she found, “at least 100” sexual video chats between Klein and unnamed females who appeared to be underage on the hard drive, including one that appeared to contain her daughter’s voice. Ms. Klein alleged that another of the videos showed Steve Klein masturbating while two clothed females watched on. However, she said she saw no footage containing undressed underage girls.
After discovering the videos, Ms. Klein contacted local authorities, who picked up the drive the next day. In turn, Senior Deputy Douglas Scotto, the chief investigator in the case, contacted a deputy district attorney for advice on whether he needed a search warrant to look at its files and the attorney said no. However, Steve Klein’s attorney, Debra White argued that the drive was actually shared between the couple, implying that Scotto should have requested a warrant due to a lack of probable cause that a crime had been committed based solely on what Ms. Klein had alleged.
Judge John Trice ruled against White’s motion, finding that Amanda Klein was acting as a private citizen. The judge added that there were, “no red flags” which would have told investigators they needed a warrant to access the hard-drive.
The case will continue on 22nd May at a preliminary hearing in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, when a Sheriff’s Office computer forensic specialist is expected to testify.
Klein is accused of committing: two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 14, three counts of lewd conduct with a minor aged 14 or 15, one count of intent to commit a lewd act with a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.
Ex-Wife Of Former New Found Glory Guitarist Found 100 Videos With Underage Girls
