Warwick police detail search of Cook’s home

08:35 AM EST on Friday, March 5, 2010

By Talia Buford

Journal Staff Writer

WARWICK, R.I. — James Cook’s home was searched twice in the summer of 2008 — first for evidence of drug activity, and later for evidence of child pornography, a Warwick police detective testified Thursday.

Cook, 46, is charged with a total of 22 crimes: 3 counts of manufacturing/delivering/possessing a schedule III or IV narcotic with the intent to deliver; 12 counts of first-degree sexual assault; 5 counts of identity fraud; and 1 count each of felony conspiracy and abominable or detestable crimes against nature, in this case the sexual violation of an animal, also known as bestiality or zoophilia. The Journal incorrectly reported that he also faced 16 charges of second-degree assault; those charges were dismissed prior to the beginning of his trial this week in Kent County Superior Court.

Warwick police Detective Timothy Grant said that they initially learned of Cook when his niece, Kendra Cook, reported that she’d seen a videotape of Cook engaged in sexual acts with a young person. When she came to the Police Department to talk to detectives, they said they learned more about Cook’s alleged drug selling and arranged for Kendra Cook to buy Vicodin under police supervision on two occasions. Those so-called “controlled buys” were enough to get a warrant for Cook’s home, then at 26 Morning Glory Drive, to search for more evidence.

On June 9, Grant said, officers waited for Cook to return home and then searched his home and his car. In addition to a black lockbox with prescription pill bottles and a plastic bag of Vicodin, officers said they also found more pill bottles (that did not contain controlled substances) and three cell phones with names and birthdates taped to them.

As they searched, they said they also found numerous small 8mm and VHS tapes, along with two video cameras and a tripod next to the bed. Grant said the tapes looked similar to the tape that Kendra Cook referenced and a family member later produced for detectives, so the police were able to secure another search warrant the following day for evidence related to child pornography.

Cook is not facing charges of child pornography — a fact that Judge Edward C. Clifton reminded jurors of at least twice during Grant’s testimony.

In total, Grant said, officers collected 13 videotapes, 76 CDs, 12 floppy disks and 62 8mm videotapes. Among the tapes, Grant said, were videos that showed Cook engaged in sexual acts with a young man, and videos of Cook helping a teenage boy have sex with a dog.

Grant testified that the bestiality tape was made in the basement of Laurie McLean Marion’s home, a friend of Cook’s who often let him use her West Warwick home when she wasn’t present. Officers found the tape during a second search of Cook’s home. The tape had a stamp of April 11, 2008, and contained 15 digital photos of a teenage boy and a dog, as well as a video.

McLean Marion previously testified that from October 2007 to April 2008, the family had a male mutt named Luca they rescued from the Pawtucket dog pound. The dog was generally a “happy” dog, but became aggressive in April, biting McLean Marion and her youngest daughter. The dog ran away on April 21, and the family never saw the dog again.

In February, the attorney general’s office was granted an order barring the media from taping, photographing or otherwise broadcasting three witnesses for the prosecution. It is the policy of The Providence Journal not to identify victims of alleged sexual assault. Among the witnesses protected by the order is a teenage boy whom Cook met over the Internet, according to the state, and arranged to carry out a series of sexual acts with a dog with Cook’s help.

The courtroom was reconfigured Thursday, so that the defendant’s table, which normally faces the judge, instead, faced the jury. The move was an effort to comply with the order and ensure that members of the public would not see the video when it was broadcast to the jurors or the defendant, who watched the video on a portable television.

Testimony in Cook’s trial is scheduled to resume Friday.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

thats fuckin disturbing

That is seriously fucked man.

gives a whole new meaning to the word "freak"

That's not right... I vote death by stoning.

I vote death by getting fucked in the ass by a horse. Just ask Mr. hands

lets hang him high

So wait...why isn't he being charged with the creation and possession of child pornography.

Sure, all the rest of the charges make up for it, but if they have the evidence against him for him why not pop him with that? That's over 150 counts right there (between the tapes, cds, etc). The penalties for conviction are no more than 5 years in prison and not exceeding a fine of $5,000 dollars or both, probably per count. He would spend the rest of his life in prison for just the pornography.

by reading the article, teenage could techincally be old enough to consent.

and young man is usually older than a teenager, at least in my views.

I really dont know though thats all assumption based on the fact that he didnt get charged.

its wrong and disgusting either way.