April 7, 2010 10:00 AM

Dad Made Young Daughters Watch Porn, Charged with Child Endangerment, Say Officials

By
Edecio Martinez
Topics
Daily Blotter

(CBS/AP)

AMARILLO, Texas (CBS/AP) Jack Buckner II has been charged with child endangerment after forcing his 8 and 9-year-old daughters to watch online pornography, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The father is accused of placing his daughters in danger of imminent mental impairment by showing them porno while they were visiting him. The girls' parents are divorced and shared custody of them.

"I'm sad because it's my daughters' dad," said the girls' mother, Crystal Buckner. "I'm glad that justice is going to be done and no one else can do what my ex-husband did. Even though he did do this he's still their dad."

Randall County District Attorney James Farren said last year that he wanted to charge Buckner using the state's indecency law but believed he couldn't because the law allows parents to show "harmful material" to their children.

Farren charged Buckner with two counts of child endangerment on Monday after Texas' attorney general advised Farren that he could prosecute the Amarillo father using a different statute.

Crystal Buckner says the incident happened early last year at her ex-husband's home. Her three children were watching a movie, though the youngest one had fallen asleep.

Buckner said the girls' father was at his computer and told the girls to come look at what was on the screen.

If convicted, Buckner faces up to two years in state jail and a $10,000 fine on each count.


Add a Comment
by Desu88 September 9, 2010 12:16 PM EDT
Culture determines wether there is "mental impairment" caused by watching porn. There is nothing inherently traumatic to children if they watch porn.
Reply to this comment
by jonpluc@aol.com April 7, 2010 12:21 PM EDT
I notice not one parent in the history of the US has ever been charged with a crime for letting their 9 year old watch an episode of The Sopranos, a show filled with crime, rape murder and other things that are actually illegal. But the second some sexual organs get flashed, doing something perfectly natural and legal, suddenly someone is going to jail.
Reply to this comment
by GetAGrip007 April 7, 2010 1:07 PM EDT
Wow I consider myself liberal but your point of view is really liberal! They say to always keep your mind open but I fear you have left your mind so open your brain actually fell out! A father purposely showing porn to 8 and 9 year old is A-OK with you? Wow..
by jonpluc@aol.com April 7, 2010 12:02 PM EDT
Had the father just explained verbally what sex was instead of shown a video should he be charged with a crime as well? If so how does that differentiate with any other parents who talk about sex with their children? Why is the hang up that the communication happened with pictures instead of a verbal explanation? I think the kids were too young to be learning this message but that not my choice to make as im not that childs parent.
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by jonpluc@aol.com April 7, 2010 11:55 AM EDT
Explain how seeing 2 people have sex on TV is endangering a child? Will the childs head explode? What exact danger was this child in exactly? Was a giant razor sharp ***** going to fly out of the screen and attack the girl? There is a difference between illegal and inappropriate. People need to learn this.
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by GetAGrip007 April 7, 2010 1:17 PM EDT
oh you are a troll!
by jonpluc@aol.com April 8, 2010 8:13 AM EDT
Way to dismiss all of my perfectly valid points without bothering to actually address them.
by johnsole1 April 7, 2010 10:42 AM EDT
"I'm sad because it's my daughters' dad," said the girls' mother, Crystal Buckner. "I'm glad that justice is going to be done and no one else can do what my ex-husband did. Even though he did do this he's still their dad." So what, this man's biological connection to these girls makes his actions condonable? He has a lot to learn about parenting. Is mom sure these girls are safe with him? Sounds like sexual predator grooming behavior going on.
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