“The Cloud”Helps In Reporting Child Pornography Crime

Trained eyes are getting credit for a child pornography arrest that started in "the cloud" and ended here in Yakima county. Microsoft's Skydrive lets users freely store pictures, videos and documents and can be accessed from pretty much anywhere. Detectives say Michael Alvarado used it to upload child pornography. The police report says Skydrive's forensic team detected several video uploads with titles too explicit to share.  Microsoft contacted internet crimes against children who then got in touch with a contact at the Seattle Police department.

Those officers called the Yakima County Sheriff's office.

"That particular set of facts hasn't happened before, but it's not unusual for us to be made aware from various information sources of people who may be in possession of child pornography," said Yakima County Sheriff's office Detective Stu Graham.

A police report shows one particular video upload Alvarado allegedly viewed involved a 4-year-old girl being sexually abused. The allegations against Alvarado could carry prison time. Yakima County prosecutors say even with no criminal history, a 1st degree child pornography conviction could bring more than a year in prison. Alvarado pleaded not guilty at Wednesday's Arraignment.

He's scheduled to go on trial in April.