Judge hears arguments on porn suspect’s past

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1998 | 10:33 a.m.

Before his Sept. 20 arrest on child pornography and other charges, a 42-year-old casino worker was followed by police on late-night forays through back yards in quiet neighborhoods.

Some of what the police saw and learned led directly to charges against Frederick Osburn, while the string of events was used to justify a search warrant for his home near Stewart Avenue and Nellis Boulevard. That resulted in 57 counts of possessing child pornography.

But Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon said the late-night prowlings weren't isolated events for Osburn and he wants a jury to know about the defendant's years of similar activities.

In court documents, Herndon stated that Osburn "has been engaging in prowling activities since at least 1980" according to information compiled from police reports and the defendant's ex-wife, Sun Wang.

In a statement to Metro Police detectives, Wang said that one of the reasons the two-year marriage ended was that Osburn was doing "funny things ... like a peeping Tom."

Wang said that Osburn admitted he "got turned on" by watching people through their windows and had urged her to join him, but she refused, Herndon stated in court papers seeking to have Osburn's past allowed as evidence in his trial later this year.

On five occasions between 1980 and 1989, Osburn had run-ins with the law in California and Nevada and generally pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts to resolve the cases.

Arguments on the admissibility of Osburn's past are set for Feb. 24 in District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski's courtroom.

In court documents, Herndon stated that Osburn's "emotional propensity for sexually aberrant behavior, as exhibited in the recorded past prowling activities and through his ex-wife's testimony, is very much relevant and admissible in the case."

Osburn has pleaded not guilty but a trial has not yet been scheduled. Conviction on all charges could put Osburn in prison for the rest of his life.

Osburn is also charged with using a minor in the production of pornography, open and gross lewdness, attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools.