Computer repair shop turned in Raleigh man on child porn charges

Leander Dewey Jones, 63, of 2931 Brentwood Road, was arrested Saturday and is charged with 12 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He remains in the Wake County jail under a $1 million bond.

David Loyd of Wild Dog Computers, a shop off Capital Boulevard near Interstate 540, said he was disgusted when he saw the images while working on Jones' computer last week.

"Had something happened to some child locally, that would be hard to live with," Loyd said to explain his decision to call police. "I had friends say, 'You should have just confronted the guy and made him swear it wouldn't happen again.' That doesn't work."

North Carolina law requires computer technicians to report any such images found during the course of their work to local law enforcement or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"Had it been above age, yeah, that’s legal. That’s not my business," Loyd said. "People’s lives are on these machines, and sometimes they don’t think, what I like to say, properly."

Police searched the computer after Jones' arrest and found files showing naked girls ages 6 to 10 in provocative positions and found more explicit photos on USB drives and discs in his home, authorities said.

The FBI has taken over investigation of the case because of the amount of pornography uncovered.

Jones marketed himself as a Santa for hire. He is a member of the Triangle Santa Buddies organization, working under the name "Santa Lee Jones," and police seized business cards listing Jones as Santa Claus and a Santa costume from his home.

Authorities also said he worked as a magician and played the role of a pirate for parties and other events.

Jones' wife on Wednesday denied that her husband ever worked as a Santa, a magician or a pirate. She said he bought the Santa suit and joined the Santa Buddies a couple of years ago, but he never wore the suit outside the house and never was employed as a Santa.