Yearlong Inquiry Yields Arrest of Accused Molester of 20 Boys

A 50-year-old man wanted in connection with the molestations of at least 20 boys in California, Ohio and Kentucky has been arrested after a yearlong investigation, authorities said.

Federal marshals arrested Stephen Billand on Friday in Point Loma on two federal no-bail warrants alleging the transport of 47 pounds of marijuana over the Mexican border in May 1997 and bail jumping, authorities said.

The San Diego sheriff’s child abuse unit began its investigation after a 19-year-old man in Billand’s foster care told authorities that Billand had sodomized him and threatened him with a gun, Det. Victoria Reden said.

She said detectives found pornographic photos of young boys after a search of Billand’s property in Lakeside, a town northeast of San Diego.

Billand was booked for investigation of a felony charge of commercially producing child pornography,a misdemeanor charge of possession of child pornography and four felony counts of furnishing marijuana and methamphetamines to juveniles, Reden said.

Federal marshals and local authorities have been tracking Billand for 12 months on the two no-bail warrants. Last week, an additional $200,000 warrant was issued for the Lakeside counts.

Billand was involved in photographing naked boys in Hawaii in the late 1960s before moving to Dade County, Fla., where he worked in an adult bookstore, Reden said.

He moved to Amelia, Ohio, about 1984, opening foster homes there and in Warsaw, Ky. Billand moved to California in 1991, bringing some of his victims with him, Reden said.

Since San Diego authorities started their investigation, 20 men have come forward in California, Ohio and Kentucky,alleging that Billand molested them, Reden said.