A Lawrence police detective testified Friday that he found several images and videos of children being molested on a former Lawrence man’s computer.

Detective Scott Slifer spoke in Douglas County District Court about a forensic examination he did on two of the 27-year-old suspect’s computer hard drives and a removable flash drive.

The defendant, who no longer lives in Kansas, faces three charges of sexual exploitation of a child. He is free on $30,000 bond. The man has pleaded not guilty in the case, in which prosecutors allege he possessed the material in 2005.

Slifer said he used a national database that tracks missing children to verify the identity of some of the children in the images and videos.

Friday’s testimony came during a hearing about whether a Topeka-based expert witness for the defense can possess some of the evidence to examine it. Prosecutors and police have argued the expert must examine the evidence at a lab in the Kansas City area to comply with privacy and security concerns.

Defense attorney Angela Keck said the defense is trying to keep down legal costs because the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services is paying the expert. The investigator would comply with any privacy guidelines, she said.

Chief District Judge Robert Fairchild will rule later on the motion. He has not yet set a trial date.

The Journal-World generally does not identify suspects in sex crime cases unless they are convicted.