Child pornography sentencing delayed for Enrique Pearce

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A prominent San Francisco political consultant, Enrique Pearce was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to child pornography charges, but the plea deal was brought it to a halt.

The judge in the care announced the delayed sentencing after the objection of the sheriff's office.

Pearce pleaded guilty in December to possession of hundreds of images of child porn, including sexually abusive photos of infants.

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Pearce worked on many political campaigns, including those for Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim before his arrest in 2015.

Judge Renee Navarro approved the original plea deal.

"The defendant pled in open court, plead guilty to all the charges in exchange for six months electronic monitoring," said Max Szabo, a spokesperson for the San Francisco District Attorney's office.

In addition to home detention, Pearce would also be required to register as a sex offender, but he would avoid jail time.

The deal was approved by Judge Navarro despite the objections of prosecutors.

"We thought prison time was a more appropriate sentence in this case," said Szabo.

Prosecutors say there are similar cases, like the one in 2014 against former San Francisco human rights employee and gay rights activist Larry Brinkin who received jail time for a similar child porn charge.

Negotiations about a new sentence are now underway.

Pearce's lawyer declined to comment.