COEUR d'ALENE - John Patrick McClaren, 46, of Hayden Lake, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of distributing child pornography that is an adapted or modified depiction of an identifiable minor, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

McClaren was charged on Feb. 24 in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene.

According to the plea agreement, on Dec. 10, 2009, a member of the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force developed information that an Internet protocol address registered to a Hayden Lake residence was involved in the distribution of child pornography using "peer-to-peer" software.

Following an investigation, McClaren was found to be living at the residence.

On Jan. 27, 2010, task force members served a federal search warrant at the residence and seized a laptop computer and two hard-drives.

McClaren was present during the search and agreed to speak to investigators. During the interview, he admitted that he had been downloading child pornography for several months using a peer-to-peer network and the Internet.

FBI forensic examination discovered that the two hard-drives from McClaren's laptop computer contained at least 160 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. One image was later identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to be that of a minor from New Hampshire.

McClaren has agreed to forfeit the computer and hard drives used in the offense.

McClaren faces up to 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a minimum term of five years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for June 19, 2012, before U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.