Burglars Call the Cops After Accidentally Stealing Child Pornography

Two teenagers broke into a California home in order to steal a few valuables, including a stack of blank CDs. When they returned home with their loot they discovered that the CDs weren’t actually blank, they contained Kraig Stockard’s child pornography collection. The two robbers decided to turn themselves in to police in order to turn over the collection.

The Huffington Post reports that the Merced County Sheriff’s Department decided not to arrest the two burglars. They did, however, decide to raid Stockard’s home.

The police seized several computers, laptops and other hardware, but they did not say if they found any more contraband. Regardless, the police still had plenty of evidence on the stolen disks to arrest Stockard. According to a statement from police, 30 of the 50 stolen disks contained child pornography. The Sheriff’s Department said that thousands of photos and videos were found on the disks.

Stockard was booked on possession of child pornography, but Fox 40 reports that he has already posted his $25000 bail.

My Fox 40 reports that although the police did not press charges against the two thieves, the two teenagers aren’t completely off the hook. Their case has been turned over to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Deputy Tom McKenzie said:

“We did not actually go out and arrest the suspects for the burglary. They were obviously the lesser of two evils.”

Should the two robbers, a minor and a 19-year-old, be punished for stealing? Or should their misdeeds be over looked because they uncovered a greater evil?