Man Accused Of Holding Sex Tape Depicting Child's Sexual Assault In Custody

Sunday, September 30th 2007, 7:51 pm

By: News On 6

LAS VEGAS (AP) _ A man accused of holding and showing off a tape depicting the sexual assault of a 3-year-old girl was taken into custody Sunday on a probation violation, authorities said.

Darrin Tuck, 26, arranged to surrender after evading arrest since Friday, said Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo. Prosecutors are set to formally charge Tuck with possession of child pornography and possibly promoting child pornography on Monday, DeMeo said.

Tuck had been on probation for desertion and failure to pay child support, but his probation was revoked, authorities said. Officials were unable to arrest him Friday night because he could not be found.

His defense attorney, Harry Kuehn, said probation was revoked on ``a technicality'' for not paying child support. DeMeo said the revocation came after Nevada's Division of Parole and Probation learned the district attorney would file formal criminal charges.

Tuck has told authorities he found the tape in the desert, but authorities said he possessed it for as long as five months before turning it in. He was arrested earlier this month in the case and released without bail pending a court appearance.

Tuck was being held at the Nye County Detention Center.

The girl in the tape was located after authorities on Friday released information they would not normally disclose in order to get tips from the public, including a picture, DeMeo said. The widespread media attention led someone to call the girl's mother, who contacted police but did not know about the assault, authorities said.

Kuehn said he was unaware his client had surrendered, but noted it was ``a good thing.'' He also denied that his client had showed the video to others.

``The sheriff's office has exaggerated the extent of their evidence and seriously jeopardized our client's chance of a fair trial,'' Kuehn said.

The videotape was made at a Las Vegas residence that did not belong to the girl's family, officials said, though her mother recognized furniture seen in still images of the tape.

Authorities are still searching for Chester ``Chet'' Arthur Stiles, 34, who is suspected of sexually abusing the girl.

Stiles also is wanted on an unrelated state warrant issued last year charging lewdness with a minor under 14 years of age and on a federal fugitive warrant.

The Associated Press is no longer identifying or releasing photos of the girl because she is a suspected victim of sexual abuse. It did so earlier in the interest of her safe recovery.