SAN FRANCISCO—Charged with six felonies in relation to the possession and distribution of child pornography, former San Francisco political consultant Enrique Pearce, 41, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on May 13.
Pearce, famed for his work on the “Run Ed Run” campaign that led to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s 2011 election, was put in handcuffs minutes after he submitted his plea.
He posted a $215,000 bail five days prior to his arraignment, and was placed back in jail where he was held on a $400,000 bail until Friday.
Pearce posed a public safety threat that was too steep to allow him to re-integrate into society, according to the courts.
Per Assistant District Attorney Alexis Feigen Fasteau, the findings made after law enforcement searched Pearce’s Civic Center apartment were so grotesque and disturbing that there existed a genuine fear that his behavior would escalate in a dangerous manner.
Fasteau indicated that authorities confiscated child pornography portraying children in acts of sexual sadism or masochism, including the penetration of infants as young as six months old.
He also stated that conversations with another alleged deviant described the sharing of a young boy with another man, a fantasy that the Assistant District Attorney stated Pearce found “hot.”
No other arrests have been made in connection to Pearce’s case. Law enforcement has not officially stated if connections have been made between Pearce and the individuals who allegedly distributed the child pornography to him.
