SAN LUIS OBISPO — San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow announced today, Jun. 2, that San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Barry T. LaBarbera found Jason Robert Porter (49) of Paso Robles guilty of multiple felony counts, sex crimes, and possession of child pornography.

After a six-day court trial, Judge LaBarbera found Porter (DOB 05/05/1972) guilty of 16 felony counts, including multiple sex crimes on four child victims and possession of child pornography. 

Porter was also convicted of 36 misdemeanor counts of unauthorized invasion of privacy. The defendant waived his constitutional right to a jury trial, and the matter was heard by the judge alone.

The evidence presented at the trial established that between February 2008 and June 2016, Porter sexually abused four female child victims between the ages of 1 and 13 and videotaped 36 victims without their knowledge. The crimes for which he was convicted began when Porter was 36 years old.

“We sincerely applaud the courage of the young survivor who testified and the tenacity of the law enforcement personnel who gathered and reviewed all of the evidence – including 324 electronic devices and more than four terabytes of cyber data to prove these horrible crimes,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “These verdicts send a clear message that we will prosecute child sexual predators to the maximum extent of the law.”

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Melissa Chabra, who is assigned to the District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit. 

“I am pleased that after five long years, I was able to be a part of the team, in this case, to finally deliver justice to all of the survivors involved. The young victim’s bravery while testifying in court in front of her abuser inspires me to continue my work on these cases and fight for justice for all survivors of sexual abuse in our county,” said Deputy DA Chabra. 

Child sexual abuse cases are among the most emotional and complex prosecutions handled by law enforcement and prosecutors. 

The case was investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department with the assistance of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, and Central Coast Cyber Forensic Laboratory (CCCFL). The CCCFL was formed out of a partnership between the District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Justice, the California Military Department, and Cal Poly. The CCCFL was inaugurated on Mar. 1, 2017.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jun. 28, at 1:30 p.m. in of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, the Honorable Barry T. LaBarbera presiding. 

Porter faces a maximum sentence of more than 300 years to life in state prison for the crimes he was convicted of.  

A copy of the charging document can be found here.