Man guilty in child-sex case

A Tucson man whose graffiti-spraying spree led to child-molestation charges is now facing multiple life sentences.

A Pima County jury convicted Monte McCarty, 45, of 18 of the 19 crimes prosecutors charged him with in February 2007.

One charge, sexual conduct with a minor under 12, carries a potential life sentence, with parole possible after 35 years. When compounded by the other charges, his minimum sentence is 141 years.

According to court testimony, a Tucson woman called police on Feb. 4, 2007, after finding someone had spray-painted two obscene messages to her 8-year-old daughter on the family's house and garage door.

After going to the house, detectives realized the messages were similar to a series of obscene messages spray-painted on walls near South Kolb and East Golf Links roads between Dec. 11, 2006, and Jan. 28, 2007.

They were also similar to obscene writings on small pieces of paper found in a wash in the same area.

The homeowner told jurors that, when asked whether she had had any workmen inside her house in recent months, she remembered McCarty had done some drywall work for her in July 2006.

Detectives learned McCarty lived near Golf Links and Kolb and drove a white Jeep Cherokee matching the description of one seen near the woman's home the morning the messages were found, according to court documents.

During a search of McCarty's home, detectives found sexually explicit photos of McCarty with four prepubescent girls, court documents indicate.

When the girls were interviewed, each one said she'd been sexually abused by McCarty, according to court documents.

Two of the girls are related to McCarty. The other two are friends of those girls.

McCarty was tried on one count of sexual conduct with a minor, four child-molestation charges and seven charges of exploitation of a minor.

In addition, he was also tried on two counts of furnishing obscene items to a minor, three criminal-damage-related counts, one count of indecent exposure and one count of sexual abuse of a minor.

The jury did not convict McCarty in a molestation incident that prosecutors said occurred in a swimming pool.

But the jury found him guilty of other incidents of abuse involving the same girl.

McCarty's attorney, Eric Larsen, said he intends to file an appeal alleging the police search of McCarty's home was illegal.

Pima County Superior Court Judge Frank Dawley is scheduled to sentence McCarty May 27.