St. Helena Man Charged in Child Pornography Case

Baltimore Police Department officials have arrested a St. Helena man on child pornography charges.

David Ralph Fisher, 42, of the 6500 block of St. Helena Ave, has been charged with making, obtaining and having child pornography, and also faces charges of sexual solicitation of a minor, according to a department spokesman.

"This is a very troubling case," Baltimore city police spokesman Anthony Gugliemi said during a news conference Friday.

He called Fisher's actions "heinous and quite frankly disgusting" and referred to the case as sensitive, given the ages of the victims involved.

Fisher is alleged to have used his own family members in the manufacturing of child pornography, and police officials are urging anyone who believes their children may have been victimized by Fisher to contact them.

An associate of Fisher contacted police in November after discovering the disturbing images on Fisher's computer, Gugliemi said.

That information triggered an investigation, which resulted in a search and seizure warrant being issued, and a subsequent forensic analysis of computer equipment taken from Fisher's home.

While that work was being done, police officials pretending to be a 14-year-old girl made contact with Fisher via the Internet, Gugliemi said. Fisher agreed to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex, and was arrested by police when he showed up at the arranged location, the spokesman said at the press conference.

According to a WBAL-TV report, the associate who turned Fisher in was his then-fiance. Children known to have been victimized ranged in age from 2 to 12, according to the television report.

Fisher is being held at the city's central booking facility, awaiting sexual solicitation of a minor charges, according to Gugliemi.

Police officials called the press conference on Friday to urge other victims of Fisher's to come forward.

It's "important to identify all victims" in this case involving "egregious" acts, Gugliemi said.

Anyone who believes they know someone who may have been victimized by Fisher is urged to call 443-984-7135.