When “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure” showed up for sale on Amazon.com in November, there was a flood of disgust and anger across the country. Facing threats of a boycott, the online retail giant dropped it. But the Sheriff of Polk County Florida did not.
Sheriff Grady Judd used Florida’s obscenity law to get a warrant for author Phillip Greaves and charge him with a felony, even though Greaves lives 1,800 miles away in Pueblo, Colorado.
Judd says Florida has an unusually detailed law that prohibits selling, giving or transmitting child pornography. So his detectives ordered the book. Greaves sent them his last copy and even autographed it. That was enough to charge Greaves with a crime.
“He created this book specifically to teach people how to sexually molest and rape children,” the Sheriff told reporters Monday. “There may be nothing that the other 49 states can do, but there’s something the state of Florida can do”
Here’s more from CNN:
The topic of this book is horrific. I don’t think anyone would argue that point. HOWEVER, did he break the law? It isn’t child pornography as this article says the law prohibits. Aren’t books about murder, rape, genocide, war, terrorism, etc. bought and sold every day? And lastly, the officer in the video threatens those who buy or sell the book, but didn’t he buy it? And isn’t he showing it off to reporters?
I’m not defending this author or the content of this book, but it seems to me that Polk County is fighting a losing battle. Seems more like a publicity stunt than anything.