Sex offender facing charges in Bonner Co.

SAGLE — A registered sex offender was arrested Thursday on charges of sexual battery of a minor under the age of 16 and possession of child pornography, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Michael Henry Forker is expected to make an initial court appearance today in Bonner County Magistrate Court.

Forker, 39, was convicted of 10 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in Washington County, Ore., in 2009, according to the Idaho State Police sex offender registry. That offense is analogous to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child in Idaho.

Forker’s listed address is 138 Smokehouse Road, the registry said.

The child pornography charges date back to 2003, when Forker was working at a shelter for runaway teens in Portland, according to a news report published by the Oregonian. The case languished amid an extended dispute over whether evidence found in Forker’s Aloha apartment would be admitted at trial.

Forker’s defense counsel succeeded in suppressing the evidence, although that ruling was overturned on appeal in 2007, the Oregonian reported. Forker ultimately pleaded guilty.

Detectives in the case found photographs that suggested Forker may have lured children to his apartment, but couldn’t identify the children in the photos. The search also turned up photos of boys in a locker room they also couldn’t identify, according to the Oregonian report.

Authorities in Idaho suspect Forker may have victimized others in the community.

“The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office has reason to believe there may be other underaged victims in the community as Mr. Forker was actively meeting individuals online,” a news release said.

Investigators in the Oregon case also believed Forker abused children who never reported it to authorities, the Oregonian report said.

Those with information about Forker’s activities are encouraged to report it to the sheriff’s office via its tip line (208-255-COPS).

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and find him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.