CYFD official investigated for child porn

The deputy director of New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department is under investigation for allegations of possessing and distributing child pornography. The Albuquerque Journal reports Mark Edwards of Santa Fe has not been arrested or charged with any crime at this point. However, the newspaper says Edwards told investigators that he had possessed and distributed child porn for years. Authorities confiscated a computer hard drive from Edwards' home that contained more than 25 images of children as young as three exposing themselves or engaged in explicit sexual acts, according to an affidavit obtained by The Journal. A CYFD spokeswoman said Edwards' $95,000-per-year position oversaw the department budget and administrative responsibilities and did not involve any direct contact with children. According to the affidavit, the Attorney General's Office's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force started investigating in January "a distribution of child pornography case regarding an America Online subscriber named Mark Edwards." The affidavit states that an investigator for the Attorney General's Office and an FBI agent visited Edwards' Santa Fe home on October 6 and he provided written consent for them to search his laptop and an external hard drive. CYFD has placed Edwards on paid administrative leave during the investigation and his computer at work is being checked for any inappropriate material, according to The Journal.