Police Officer Ordered To Register As Sex Offender

SAN DIEGO -- A former San Diego police officer whose home computer contained child pornography and explicit e-mails to a girl was sentenced Friday to five years' probation, and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Brett Kenneth Hensley, 36, pleaded guilty July 6 to a felony charge of using a minor to manufacture child pornography, and three misdemeanor counts of possessing child porn.

Hensley voluntarily surrendered Jan. 18 following the execution of a search warrant at his home and job 11 months earlier by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and San Diego police.

A forensic review of Hensley's computers revealed numerous images of child porn and e-mail messages indicating that he was communicating with girls and posing as a minor. After further investigation, agents discovered that Hensley had solicited photos and phone sex with young females, authorities said.

One victim, who lived out of state, told agents that Hensley solicited phone sex with her over the Internet, and requested that she mail him sexually explicit photos of herself.

The girl laid herself across a scanner to take the photo, Deputy District Attorney Geoff Allard said.

Hensley disgraced his department, where he worked for 12 years, and betrayed his own family, the prosecutor told San Diego Superior Court judge Charles Rogers.

Defense Attorney Gerald Blank told the judge that Hensley started therapy in February 2004 as soon as he realized he had a problem.

"He started out with adult pornography," Blank said. The attorney said Hensley started a Web site to help parents and others stop the exploitation of children. Rogers told him the Web site had merit, but told the defendant to divest himself from the project.