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Local photographer pleads guilty to sex charges



By LARRY HENDRICKS
Assistant City Editor
Thursday, August 21, 2008

A Flagstaff photographer known for his work with the Mongolia relief effort has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted child molestation and attempted sexual conduct with a minor.

Geoffrey Gourley, 50, was in Coconino County Superior Court Wednesday to enter his guilty plea. He faces, according to the plea agreement, a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 7 Ö years in prison. According to court documents, Gourley was indicted in September 2007 on charges of sexual assault, sexual conduct with a minor, child molestation, sexual abuse and kidnapping. The sex charges were all considered dangerous crimes against a child under the age of 15.

The victim's mother made statements to police investigators that Gourley confessed to her to the incident described by her child.

Gourley was arrested by police, and he posted a $72,000 cash bond a few days after he was booked into the Coconino County jail.

According to the plea agreement, Gourley must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. He will then be placed on lifetime probation, and he must register as a sex offender.

Gourley will remain free until he is sentenced Oct. 3 at 1:30 p.m. in front of Judge Elaine Fridlund-Horne, according to an agreement between Gourley and the Coconino County Attorney's Office.

Ted Reed, deputy Coconino County attorney, said the victim and the victim's family were notified of the plea agreement, and they are satisfied with the terms.

According to Gourley's Web site, he specializes in photographs that depict outdoor lifestyles, portraits and landscapes. He has several images of Mongolia from his work there as director of Flagstaff International Relief Effort. FIRE's mission is to gather and ship medicine, clothing and other items needed to Mongolia.

Gourley has shot photos for companies like Patagonia and Teva, and his photos have appeared in a number of outdoor and adventure magazines.

Larry Hendricks can be reached at 556-2262 or lhendricks@azdailysun.com.
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Online editor wrote on Aug 22, 2008 12:11 PM:

" No further comments will be posted to this story. "

Dan wrote on Aug 22, 2008 12:04 PM:

" RLMcQ - A thorough Canadian study from 2004 that followed over 700 adult sex offenders over 14-20 years found that recidivism is roughly 20% for both treated and untreated offenders. Offenders come in all sizes, varieties, and levels of disturbance. It is good that we have court rooms through which to sort out the individual elements of each offender's circumstances. We do not live in the stone age. "

Michael Dugan wrote on Aug 22, 2008 11:41 AM:

" Perhaps he'll recieve justice while he is in prison...maybe walking a mile in the victims shoes.... "

disgusted wrote on Aug 22, 2008 11:39 AM:

" Could you have written a worse article about this? This guy is being portrayed like some kind of hero. He isn't. Working as a river guide in Grand Canyon and taking pictures does not a hero make. He sexually molested a child. The last child molester tried in this town got 80 years. How come this guy is only getting 5 -7? This plea deal stinks. This media coverage of river guide child molester stinks. If anything I think people in this town should be asking some hard questions of the county attorney's office. "

Dan wrote on Aug 22, 2008 11:15 AM:

" Second-guessing, misinterpretation, bogus inclusions, and a malicious spite characterize most of these remarks. The photographer defendant broke the law, and he is receiving punishment consistent with what was requested by the prosecution in lawful consideration of the totality of the circumstances. It would be grossly uncivilized to put this person to death as might be done in an Islamic country. The reporting, to me, simply and clearly underscores how an otherwise successful person can screw up their life by letting their reptilian nature dominate their judgment. The importance of this irony, buried between the lines of this story, falls sadly flat on its face when anger is the only emotion available to a reader and profound vindictiveness is the only action considered. "

RG wrote on Aug 22, 2008 10:46 AM:

" Brother, this story IS an atrocity! "

local wrote on Aug 22, 2008 10:15 AM:

" This is the Daily Sun at it's worst. I cannot believe the reporter cited Gourley's clients and FIRE. FIRE has absolutely nothing to do with this case and is still an amazing non-profit organization that Flagstaff can be proud of. I'm sure FIRE is horrified that it would be mentioned in regards to this and hopefully will emerge unscathed. I could understand making a reference to his small role in a community organization; however mentioning it three times is redundant and sensational. Once again, the Daily Sun's reporters need to go back to Journalism school and revisit their career choice.

There is always more to a story than what is reported by the media. "

girl scout wrote on Aug 22, 2008 9:22 AM:

" What about the possibility that even folks who do very bad things are complex characters? That no one is only good or only evil? Come on folks, grow up! "

flag resident wrote on Aug 22, 2008 8:35 AM:

" this is so sad the sun seems to like to always degrade all others not involved........ when will you stop and look and the impact it will have on the community ill always look at F.I.R.E. AS ONE WHO DOESNT SCREEN THE PUBLIC HELP?????? IM SORRY FOR THE VICTIM IN THIS....... "

RLMcQ wrote on Aug 21, 2008 8:41 PM:

" Lifetime probation is meaningless!!! A pedophile is a pedophile is a pedophile..............it doesn't matter whether probation is lifetime or not...........a pedophile is a pedophile and the recidivism rate for pedophiles is extremely high!!!!! That means 'repeat offenses"--probation or not. They look only for the opportunity to abuse again........What judge is allowing this to go on??? Bah Humbug -- lifetime probation -- well, just slap him on the hand and say--'bad boy' -- he is a sick human (?) being and children are NEVER safe with this type of person. Why on earth did this paper give him 'rave' reviews--shame on you!!! My sympathy goes to the victim(s) and their families; this type of trauma lasts for a life-time. "

About time wrote on Aug 21, 2008 7:06 PM:

" It is about time that the Daily Sun wrote about this case. Why has it taken this long? As far as Mr. Gourley goes, I do not care what he has done in Mongolia, look at what he has done here? "

local wrote on Aug 21, 2008 5:08 PM:

" It is really unfortunate that the article had to involve such a great organization such as F.I.R.E. Dragging its name into this situation isn't fair. Wonderful, compassionate people are involved in this non-profit and have spent so much of their time helping those less fortunate. Hopefully it didn't damage the reputation of the group. I understand that this person was involved in the group, but stick to the information about the situation. And is the information even correct? Is he the director? I know Miss. Potts was the director for quite a while and has done an amazing job. "

Scott wrote on Aug 21, 2008 3:53 PM:

" All that's missing from this article is "the defendant has strong ties to the community" and I would have thought it was written by his attorney. Why eulogize this predator as if we're losing an asset to the community by him being put away? What difference does it make to the story the photography he specializes in? I was anticipating his web address in the article so I could buy some numbered prints to support his defense fund. Objective reporting this isn't. I'm sure that the charity and the companies who's association with this pedophile you mentioned, seemingly on his behalf are grateful. "

Curious wrote on Aug 21, 2008 2:22 PM:

" Are you guys over at the Spun running a fan club for pedophiles over there? Every time one comes up in the news it sounds more like you are more worried about fawning over them and trying to protect them, than you are getting some justice for the victims! Jeesh, why didn't you include a link to his Myspace page or an ad for some of his print while you were at it? Disgusting! You folks really need to take some journalism lessons, and not from NAU! "

Greg wrote on Aug 21, 2008 1:56 PM:

" This is not only bad for FIRE, but also for FALA!!!! I worked near the storage unit that FIRE is run out of and a couple times a year the students of FALA would come and help them box things to send to Mongolia. I really do wonder how many other victims are out there and just to ashamed to come forward. I wish the victim the best and hope that any other victims find the strength to retry this jerk and lock him up for much longer. "

as wrote on Aug 21, 2008 1:01 PM:

" excuse my spelling but i believe that ALL sex offenders should be castrated.period. "

Not a photographer A sex offender wrote on Aug 21, 2008 12:03 PM:

" Another one bites the dust! Lock him up and throw away the key. "

subscription cancelled wrote on Aug 21, 2008 11:45 AM:

" As of today, my home subscription is cancelled! Total insensitivity to the victim and now you have completely distanced the Mongolian relief effort (FIRE) from working with youth in the future. My kids helped bag up clothes to go to Mongolia and help needy kids over there. This organization is excellent. How can any parent who does not know that about this group ever condone having their kids help out with an organization that has been so "tagged" with a pedophile by this newspaper. You guys should be ashamed of yourself! "

Tracy wrote on Aug 21, 2008 10:45 AM:

" Perhaps you should have given info that would help other victims of child molestation. Give a hotline number or a list of agencies that can help the victim. To actually write about this mans accomplishments just sickens me. Does that make the situation any better? This kind of unacceptable behavior will continue until the media,community and government show that it will not be tollerated. Where's the "If you have any information on possible other incidents with this individual please cal..."? I pray that the victim finds a supportive network to help her heal..this could take years. "

Tonto wrote on Aug 21, 2008 10:43 AM:

" If this pedophile had been judged by his peers in a Court room he would have been put away for many more years.He got lucky the family kept the Victim from the Trama of the Court room.
I personally think this report was so poorly done, It sounded like an Obituary !! The reporting made it sound like Flagstaff had lost one of its finest Citizens.
This Pedophile will be back in our Community in just a few short years.
The Az daily Sun should be Ashamed of itself. "

volunteer wrote on Aug 21, 2008 10:42 AM:

" It is a shame the journalist made a point (several times) of linking a nonprofit organization that does good work to this criminal. As a volunteer for the organization, I believe Gourley's contact and work with the organization the past few years was very limited. Unfortunately this article stains the organization's good work and reputation at a time when donations to nonprofits are already hard to come by. What point is the author really trying to make by tying the two together? "

Tim Brown wrote on Aug 21, 2008 10:27 AM:

" Why would you give praise to such a sick man. You start and end this article with "cuddo's" to his accomplishments. I don't care what credentials he has or what relief effort he is involved in. He is guilty by his own admission and should be looked up for a long time. We don't want this kind in Flagstaff. "

Jo wrote on Aug 21, 2008 9:43 AM:

" I absolutely cannot believe the paper would have the audacity to try to make this monster sound good due to his work in photography. Unfortunately, he has negated his "good works" by forever destroying a young girl's trust. AZ Sun, perhaps you should decide if you are reporting news or running a promo spot, but for the respect of all victims, make a decision and stick to it. To the family of the victim, our deepest apologies for confusing them. "

Rebecca wrote on Aug 21, 2008 9:40 AM:

" I am absolutely appalled at the lack of sensitivity towards the victim when the Daily Sun included two paragraphs on the sex offenders photography career. I don't think those "accomplishments" are going to matter to his fellow inmates while he is incarcerated. "

Flagger wrote on Aug 21, 2008 7:56 AM:

" If only the death penalty dealt with these sicko's. "


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