Former Banner Health worker accused of possessing child porn

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- A man arrested on Tuesday is accused of sexually exploiting minors, according to court documents.

Police officials say 40-year-old John Christopher Spero was arrested at his home in Scottsdale on Thursday. An investigation into Spero began in June, after Yahoo reported that one of its users was observed trading child porn via e-mail and/or Yahoo's instant messenger service.

Police say they later served a search warrant at Spero's home, where they found hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. A journal was also recovered at the home, which contained a page with an entry on the desire of a male subject, which police believe is Spero, to enter a school after hours for the purpose of having sex.

In an interview, Spero admitted to detectives that the Yahoo account belongs to him, and that he has traded, downloaded, or sent image depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. He also told detectives he has been addicted to child porn for years, and compared it to a drug.

Court documents list Spero as having worked at Banner Health for years. In a brief statement, Banner Health officials say Wednesday that Spero is no longer employed by the company.

A bail of $10,000 has been set for Spero. If released, Spero will be barred from accessing the internet, having contact with minors, and must undergo electronic monitoring.