BY KEITH EPPS

A random conversation with a Fredericksburg detective has resulted in 100 felony charges against a city man.

Jason Michael Doughty, 38, was indicted by a city grand jury this week on 50 counts of possessing child pornography and 50 counts of reproducing child porn-ography. No trial date has been set.

According to police spokes-woman Natatia Bledsoe, Doughty was walking in the downtown area Sept. 17 when he was approached by Detective Mark Purcell. Purcell, who was off duty, thought Doughty resembled the suspect in a July 2008 incident in which a young woman was attacked while jogging at the University of Mary Washington athletic field.

Doughty agreed to talk to Purcell, and there is nothing linking him to the UMW incident.

But during the conversation, Purcell got information that linked Doughty to child pornography.

Police said Doughty gave written consent for detectives to search his residence, and a computer, books he'd ordered from the Internet and child-size dolls he'd made were seized. Police later got a search warrant for the computer, and numerous images of children in sexually explicit situations were found.

Doughty was arrested Sept. 17, and more charges were filed this week. He is being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

Bledsoe said police are still investigating the July 10, 2008, incident at the track. In that case, a young woman was jogging when a man grabbed her and pulled her off the trail. The suspect displayed a gun, but the woman fought him off and got away.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com