FORT SMITH — A University of Arkansas at Fort Smith assistant professor pleaded innocent Monday in federal court to receipt and possession of child pornography charges.

U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge said Travis Brown, 44, entered his plea in an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Marschewski. Brown is being held in the Sebastian County jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday before Marschewski.

A grand jury indicted Brown on Jan. 29 on four counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Authorities arrested Brown on the indictment at his home Friday, Eldridge said.

If convicted, Browncould be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on the possession charge and up to five years on each receipt charge.

Eldridge said a search warrant was executed in November after a child pornography task force working in western Arkansas received a tip from the Arkansas State Police that child pornography was beingdownloaded onto a computer at Brown’s home. The task force determined that the computer belonged to Brown, he said.

Eldridge said many of the 630 images on Brown’s computer were of children 10 years old or younger. Those children are victimized each time pictures of them are transferred among computer users, he said.

“We can’t tolerate this behavior,” Eldridge said. “Forthe sake of these kids and the kids of the community, that’s why we prosecute these cases.”

University spokesman Sondra LaMar said Brown is an assistant professor in graphic design and has been employed at the university since August 2001. She said she could not comment on Brown’s employment status with the university Monday because it was a personnel matter.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 02/11/2014