SAN FRANCISCO—A protective order has been issued by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Shulman prohibiting former political consultant Juan Enrique Pearce from interacting with or photographing minors.
In May, Pearce was charged with six felonies in relation to the possession and distribution of child pornography, charges he subsequently pleaded not guilty to during his arraignment.
Pearce, famed for his work on the “Run Ed Run” campaign that led to San Francisco Mayor Edward Lee’s 2011 election, was put back in handcuffs just minutes after he submitted his plea and forced to post $400,000 bail after already paying his initial bond of $215,000.
The argument for placing the 41-year-old back in jail was the nature of his alleged crimes, Pearce posed a public safety threat that was too steep to allow him to re-integrate into society.
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.
Authorities confiscated material portraying images of children engaged in acts of sexual sadism or masochism, including the penetration of infants as young as six months old.
Feigen Fasteau 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.”
Pearce’s phone was also found to contain a number of allegedly voyueristic pictures of boys in public places, including the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall. The former political consultant’s legal counsel has asserted that the photos in question were taken for advertisement purposes only.
Pearce’s attorney Edwin Prather disagreed with the request for a protective order against Pearce, saying that because his client could easily be approached by a child, “the minute he walks out of this courtroom he is in violation.”
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.
Pearce is scheduled for a hearing in the case on August 2.
