An 83-year-old Cochise County man charged last year with possessing a cache of images depicting the sexual abuse of children has been admitted to a facility to receive fulltime care due to dementia, his attorney has advised the judge hearing the case.
Dennis Lloyd Gordon of Naco was indicted in July 2022 on 19 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the state law related to child pornography. All of the counts are Class 2 felonies designated as dangerous crimes against children due to the young age of the minors.
Court records show Gordon was released from custody after his arrest in part due to undisclosed medical issues. He has participated in many of his court hearings by telephone, but there was no public indication he required 24/7 care.
That changed during an April 17 hearing when defense attorney Ryan Garvey advised Judge Joel Larson of Gordon’s condition and his need for constant care.
As a result, the judge ordered Garvey and prosecutor Michael Powell back to court on May 17 for a pretrial hearing to address how to move forward with the case.
The various images involving prepubescent children were found to be in Gordon’s possession as of February 2022. It is unclear from court documents how investigators came to suspect Gordon had the images.