LOCKPORT, NY (WKBW) — New court documents show a Lockport man attempted to have evidence destroyed as he remains behind bars.
James Stivers, 65, is a level one sex offender. He was convicted in 1995 for sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl in Niagara County,
But a couple of weeks ago he was charged with possession of child pornography.
A search warrant filed in U.S. District Court, obtained by 7 Eyewitness News, reveals while in the Niagara County jail – stivers requested to quote “make a phone call to his sister in order to have her throw out his computer so that he could beat his case.”
The court filing says his sister was contacted by a special agent to turn over Stivers’s computer and other electronic devices. The sister did and the filing stated the sister said quote “she knew it was bad to have the computers in the house and it made her sick to her stomach.”
An initial review by investigators found some of the devices seized contained images of child pornography. The charge accuses Stivers of uploading child pornography to the internet.
Stivers pleaded not guilty and remains in custody. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
