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TASK FORCE ATTORNEY & INVESTIGATOR HONORED FOR PROTECTING CHILDREN
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff honored a seasoned prosecutor and an inventive investigator for their work with the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant Attorney General Kristine Knowlton was named the 2011 Attorney of the Year and Special Agent Benjamin Lee was recognized as the 2011 Employee of the Year at the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
Tough & Tender Prosecutor:
When it comes to domestic violence and child abuse, Knowlton is the "go-to" person at the Attorney General’s Office. It is not unusual for her to be working in the middle of the night and on weekends on child abuse cases. She also drafted and helped pass an administrative subpoena law that speeds up help for child victims of sex abuse and abduction and for victims of stalking.
"Kris Knowlton has a tough exterior-which is important to take on the most serious crimes against children," says Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "But she also has a very tender heart for child victims and her compassion makes her work even harder for justice."
Before coming to the Attorney General’s Office, Knowlton was a prosecutor for Weber County. Her office is filled with family photos and thank you cards from the victims she has helped over the years. Colleagues say her willingness to mentor, sense of camaraderie and her dark humor have been invaluable while handling some of the state’s most troubling cases.
Last March Knowlton was actively involved in Utah’s largest investigation into child pornography last March. The month-long Operation FrostyLime Squeeze ended with 38 arrests and the seizure of a staggering amount of images of children being sexually abused.
"She works hard, she works smart and she is incredibly fair," notes Children’s Justice Division Chief Craig Barlow. "Her wisdom and common sense are priceless."
Utah’s MacGyver:
Special Agent Benjamin Lee was also key player in Operation FrostyLime Squeeze. His main job is to examine computers seized by ICAC agents but he still finds time to build and invent many of the tools needed to track down and catch Internet predators.
Lee is the co-creator of a computer search tool called osTriage/zSEARCH. The search tool allows investigators to find child pornography without damaging the forensic integrity of a computer. It is now is now being used by 61 ICAC Task Forces throughout the country. Lee also built a $25,000 wireless sniffer for $500 and figured out how to make a $6,000 Forensic Recovery Evidence Device for $1,200.
"When you are in the business of stopping Internet predators, saving money can mean saving another child’s life," says Shurtleff. "Lee has done an amazing job analyzing evidence and inventing new ways to catch those with the worst intentions for our children."
After a federal judge gave probation to a business owner who had more than 25,000 images and 400 videos of child pornography on his work computer, Lee went to work to find evidence to be considered for state charges. Those efforts prompted the Attorney General’s Office to charge the man with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
"Ben’s extra efforts on this case will directly impact the safety of Utah’s children," says Utah ICAC Task Force Commander Jessica Farnsworth.
Lee started as an intern with the ICAC Task Force in 2006 while he was a Centerville police officer. Now he is one of only 9 certified Computer Forensic Examiners in Utah and one of 600 in the country. The certification process usually takes 18 to 24 months but Lee completed it in 9 months.
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