Man charged with pandering material

Authorities said the suspect and his twin had a child pornography operation in Arizona.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — An Arizona man who had been staying in a condemned house on the East Side is due in court this week on a charge of pandering sexually oriented material.

Bryon K. Ferguson, 49, who is also charged with criminal trespassing, is being held in the Mahoning County Jail on a $500,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday afternoon in municipal court.

Based on information provided by a detective in Arizona, Ferguson was found at 774 Cassius Ave. on Thursday by the housing code enforcement officer and two deputy sheriffs. In March 2008, the house had been red-tagged as uninhabitable and placed on the demolition list, and Ferguson was told by a municipal judge to stay away from the place.

The detective in Arizona told police that Ferguson and his identical twin had a child pornography operation in her jurisdiction. The brother is in custody, charged with child molestation and sexual exploitation of a minor, reports show.

A search of the house on Cassius turned up floppy discs, computer equipment, three dark-brown wigs, cameras, binoculars, movie reels, 12 pairs of toddler and child-sized underwear, stuffed animals, Easter baskets with candy, toys, crayons, framed photos of young children and much more. The items were taken to the police evidence room downtown.

The twins preyed on single mothers in Arizona who needed a baby sitter and were also helpful to neighbors who had young children, police said. The detective in Arizona believed that Ferguson would be located here with floppy discs and items used to entice children such as candy and toys.

A mixed-breed dog found at the Cassius house was taken to the Mahoning County dog pound.