Former Bay Area Little League director sentenced in child porn case
A Marin judge this week sentenced a former Mill Valley Little League director to 90 days in jail for possession of child pornography.
Edward White, 64, of Mill Valley, agreed to plead guilty in October after a felony charge filed in 2021 was reduced to a misdemeanor.
The defendant, who has a history of health issues that delayed his preliminary hearing, appeared at his Tuesday sentencing via videoconference. The sentencing was postponed from Dec. 5 after he came down with the flu, said Alfiya Nactigall, a spokesperson for the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to the jail sentence, Judge Kelly Simmons sentenced White to two years of probation and 80 hours of community service.
He is required to register as a sex offender and must stay away from schools, playgrounds, and other gathering places for children, and is not permitted to be alone with a minor. His electronic devices must be accessible for authorities to search. Simmons also ordered him to undergo therapy for sex offenders and attend self-help meetings.
The defendant did not make a statement during the proceedings.
Authorities began the investigation in November 2021, when the son of White’s landlord discovered pornographic material that featured children on White’s computer, according to court documents. The son was earlier notified by a contractor who entered the defendant’s home and encountered suspicious material.
Investigators held off on arresting White after conducting a warrant search of his property while he underwent treatment at a hospital, Marin County sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn said in October. Authorities could not identify the minors who appeared in the illegal material, he said.
White was involved in Little League baseball for three decades and served on the Mill Valley Little League’s board of directors. He was suspended from all league activities following the sheriff’s investigation in 2021, then-league president Michael Cann said in October.
“At no time did any law enforcement official inform MVLL that the allegations against Mr. White were related in any way to MVLL or any MVLL players, past or present,” Cann said in a statement at the time.
He noted that the league board also asked the Mill Valley police to review the league’s background check policy. On Wednesday, Cann said that his board declined to further comment.
White’s defense attorney, Kevin Heaney, declined to comment on the sentencing. Prosecutor Thomas McCallister could not be reached for comment.