Prison ordered in child porn case

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the defendant's first name.

SANDPOINT — Jurisdiction was retained Monday in the case of a Sandpoint man accused of possessing child pornography.

That means Curt Gilbert Kluesner will serve up to a year in prison before he can be considered for release onto probation, according to the terms of the sentence imposed by 1st District Judge Barbara Buchanan.

If things go poorly for Kluesner in state prison, he could be ordered to serve a two- to five-year term, according to the judgment against him.

Kluesner, 50, was arrested in February 2020, after an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, court documents indicate.

Kluesner is accused of sharing a 1-minute, 52-second video depicting child pornography in January of last year. The video was shared via BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network.

The video was traced to a Kluesner’s laptop computer using its Internet Protocol address, the numerical label assigned to the internet-connected device, court records indicate.

Detectives with the Sandpoint Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and Idaho State Police assisted the ICAC Unit with the investigation.

Kluesner was charged with five counts of possession of sexually exploitative material. He pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to be tried this year.

However, Kluesner entered into a plea agreement in which he pleaded to one count and the remaining four counts were dismissed, court records indicate. Kluesner entered an Alford plea to the charge, meaning he admits no wrongdoing but concedes there is enough evidence to convict him.

Kluesner will have to submit a DNA sample and register as a sex offender, the judgment against him states.

In a letter to the court, Kluesner said he fell deeper into pornography and drug use, which began when his teenage son was dying of cancer at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

"I could not handle the thought of losing my son. I was in hell," Kluesner said in the letter. "I realize that this is no excuse and I am not trying to make one. I am just explaining where my head was at the time."

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com or followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.