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Man imprisoned for sexual exploitation of children

KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 hours, 10 minutes AGO
by KAYE THORNBRUGH
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | September 4, 2026 1:00 AM

A man who possessed thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse received a prison sentence, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. 

David M. Marquez, 69, pleaded in April to five counts of sexual exploitation of children by possession of sexually exploitative material. 

Prosecutors originally charged Marquez with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of children but dismissed half of them in exchange for Marquez's guilty plea, according to court records.

First District Judge Regina McCrea sentenced Marquez to 15 years in prison with parole eligibility after seven years. 

The charges stem from May 2025, when police began investigating a tip indicating Marquez was accessing child sexual abuse material. After obtaining search warrants, police searched Marquez's computer and other electronic devices. 

The search yielded evidence that Marquez had possessed images depicting child sexual abuse of "very young" children, a news release said.

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