Police say man with lengthy criminal history made child pornography

Logan Khaide Kniffen | Bingham County Jail
BLACKFOOT — A Montana prison inmate has been brought to Blackfoot to face sex abuse charges.
Logan Khaide Kniffen, 30, is charged with two felonies for sexual abuse — one for the production of child pornography, and the other for having sexual contact with a child. The alleged abuse was discovered by Montana authorities during a burglary investigation, which ultimately led to Kniffen’s Montana prison sentence.
In 2017, Ravalli County Montana authorities discovered a tablet containing child pornography among Kniffen’s possessions, which they believed was created in Blackfoot.
Montana detectives called Blackfoot Police who investigated and discovered the child photography was of a local elementary-school-aged girl, who was known to Kniffen but not related to him. Some of the photos on the tablet, taken in 2014, showed Kniffen holding his genitals over the sleeping child, according to court documents.
During the investigation, detectives spokes with a local woman who had had a romantic relationship with Kniffen. She told police Kniffen had expressed a sexual interest in children. She also confirmed the genitals in the photos belonged to Kniffen.
When detectives spoke with Kniffen he said he did not know the girl or remember taking the photos. He said he wasn’t sure how the photos ended up on his tablet and said many other people used them.
Kniffen is still serving time in Montana after being sentenced in 2018 for felony theft and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, according to the Montana Department of Corrections. It’s not clear when he was due to be released.
Bingham County prosecutors filed the child pornography charges against Kniffen in 2017, however, since he was in prison in Montana he was not arraigned until Wednesday. Bingham County Prosecutor Paul Rogers told EastIdahoNews.com Kniffen requested to be tried for the sex abuse charges in Bingham County, rather than Montana.
Court records indicate Kniffen has a lengthy criminal history in Idaho, with dozens of previous charges.
Each count Kniffen is facing holds up to 25 years in prison if convicted. His bail was set at $25,000 and he’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 18.
Source: eastidahonews.com