LOGAN — A 18-year-old Logan man, suspected of taking pornographic pictures and videos of a young girl, is hiring a new attorney.
Emanuel Zamora appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning, two weeks after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded guilty to eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
Defense attorney Mike McGinnis, who was originally hired by the court to represent Zamora after it was determined that he couldn’t afford his own council, explained that his client now wanted to hire his own attorney. He also asked to be removed from the case.
Judge Thomas Willmore said he would allow Zamora some time to hire a new defense lawyer. He explained though that he wanted to start moving the case along, noting the charges were originally filed more than six months ago. He ordered Zamora to appear again April 29.
According to a warrant affidavit, investigators received information on September 7 that Zamora was taking photographs of an 11-year-old relative. The pictures were allegedly taken while the victim was asleep and showed her in various stages of undress. The photos were then uploaded to a website, allegedly used for sharing child pornography. He also posted comments on the site about possibly sexually abusing the child.
On September 19, FBI agents served a search warrant to Zamora’s apartment. They found multiple images and videos of the juvenile on the suspect’s phone. The material appeared to be filmed unknowingly, while the victim was undressing.
Zamora is out of jail after posting $80,000 bail. He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
I read the headline as the man was arrested for filming a young girl hiring a new attorney.