FRESNO, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) - A former Bakersfield cop was sentenced Monday to 48 months in prison for possessing child pornography, according to federal prosecutors.
Christopher Bowersox's sentence also includes 120 months of supervised released. Bowersox entered a plea in February and had faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Bowersox was arrested in February 2010, accused of possessing and distributing child pornography. The FBI case against him alleged he had child pornography images on his home computer and took part in online chats in which he discussed raping, mutilating and killing young boys.
He resigned from the Bakersfield Police Department in early 2010, a few months after the child pornography investigation was launched.
The criminal investigation report included excerpts of online chats between Bowersox and a man in Florida.
"Every time I talk someone into rape, I always get a bit sad when they're not into this," the Florida man allegedly wrote in the online chats.
"Oh, I'm ... into it, big time," Bowersox responded, using the screen name "cbowersox."
Bowersox told investigators he had communicated with others in Internet chat rooms, and that he "shared fantasies" with others through chat rooms. According to the case report, Bowersox "reluctantly" described the fantasies as things between men and boys and violence between men and boys.
Bowersox had headed up the Bakersfield police anti-graffiti unit for a while.