Ada County Sheriff

Dale Gilbert

BOISE - An Idaho Department of Correction subcontractor is in jail, and prosecutors say he downloaded child pornography at a local hotel.

Dale Gilbert is charged with nine counts of possession of child pornography.  Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Shelley Armstrong said Gilbert was arrested after another patron at the Extended Stay Hotel on Vista discovered the pornography over the hotel’s wi-fi network.

The witness was logged into iTunes on his computer and noticed another computer in the “shared” folder.  He clicked on it and discovered movie files that indicated the presence of child pornography.

Jonelle Merrill reports

The witness notified the hotel, which worked with police and the hotel’s internet provider to locate the computer.  Boise Police officers obtained a search warrant and arrested Gilbert and booked him into the Ada County Jail.

"Police were able to pinpoint the room it was coming from, obtain a search warrant and actually seize the materials," Armstrong said.

Armstrong says the videos show children engaged in sex acts with adult men.

"They're actual movies depicting the rapes of children from the age of infant until probably 11 or 12 years of age," she said.

If convicted, each of the nine counts carries up to ten years in prison. He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Ada County court.

Armstrong said this case wouldn't have been solved without an alert citizen notifying authorities.

"If it hadn't been for this gentleman calling in and reporting it to law enforcement, this would have gone completely unnoticed," she said.

Gilbert worked in database analysis as a subcontractor for the Department of Correction. He is from California.