Couple arrested on child pornography charges

A Portales couple was arrested Tuesday on more than 150 child pornography charges, according to a press release from the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the release:

• Michael Gilpin, 57, is charged with 100 counts of sexual exploitation of children, 18 counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of children and tampering with evidence. Joy Gilpin, 46, is charged with 18 counts of sexual exploitation of children and 18 counts of conspiracy of sexual exploitation of children.

The Gilpins lived in the Greyhound Apartments on North Avenue K.

• A search warrant executed on Nov. 19 resulted in the recovery of computers, computer equipment, storage devices and numerous articles of photographic media related to children.

• Chief Deputy Sheriff Malin Parker Police said computer forensic personnel discovered literally hundreds of sexually oriented photos of what appeared to be young children. He said numerous photographs of the Gilpins were discovered depicting sexual acts with persons believed to be under the age of 18 years.

• The sheriff’s office had received information of concerns from a citizen that Michael Gilpin, a registered sex offender, had been observed taking or attempting to take photographs of neighborhood children. There were also concerns the Gilpins had invited children into their residence to watch movies.

• Michael Gilpin is being held on a $500,000 cash bond at the Roosevelt County Detention Center. Joy Gilpin is being held on a $250,000 cash bond.

• Michael Gilpin was convicted of computer pornography involving children in 2003 in St. Tammany, La., according the New Mexico Department of Public Safety’s sex offender registry Web site.

• The sheriff’s office has arrested four registered sex offenders in the past eight months for offenses related to the Sex Offender Notification and Registration Act.