Nev. inmate in Norfolk, faces child porn charges

NORFOLK

John Eric Ewing took off for Las Vegas two years ago after federal agents raided his apartment looking for photos of child pornography.

While in Sin City, police say, Ewing kidnapped, tortured and raped two women before he was eventually arrested.

After he was sentenced in January to a lengthy stay in the Nevada penitentiary, Ewing was brought back to Norfolk by the U.S. Marshals Service to face the child pornography charges.

Ewing, 39, made his initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court and will return Friday for a bond hearing. He's being held in a local jail.

Ewing's last known address in Norfolk was an apartment on Princess Anne Road.

During an investigation into buyers and sellers of child pornography, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents discovered that Ewing had made two purchases of child pornography, one for $94.95 in November 2006 and one for $99.95 in January 2008, according to an indictment filed here in federal court.

In April 2008, ICE agents raided Ewing's apartment and seized his computers and CDs, which they later discovered contained more than 8,000 child pornography images, videos and erotica, according to a court affidavit filed by ICE Special Agent Paul Wolpert. Shortly after the raid, Wolpert learned from the apartment manager that Ewing had fled.

His female roommate had reported that Ewing called her and said "he would not be returning to Virginia due to some legal problems and apologized for giving her such short notice," Wolpert said in his affidavit.

That summer, Ewing surfaced in Las Vegas.

According to police there, Ewing, armed with a handgun, followed two women from a casino to their room and forced his way in. He bound both, taped their mouths, sexually attacked each and then took out a stun gun and used it on both women before leaving, police said.

Las Vegas police put out a bulletin for the suspect and, on Aug. 4, 2008, a police officer in nearby Mesquite spotted Ewing. A chase ensued that led into Arizona, where Ewing crashed and was taken into custody.

Ewing pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, using a deadly weapon and sexual assault. He was sentenced in January to 30 years to life in a Nevada prison.

Tim McGlone, (757) 446-2343, tim.mcglone@pilotonline.com