Ex-Fort Smith educator guilty in child-porn case

Saturday, May 3, 2014

A former University of Arkansas at Fort Smith assistant professor has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge that he downloaded child pornography onto his home computer, according to federal court records.

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Travis Brown entered the plea Wednesday before U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III to one of four counts in a Jan. 29 indictment charging him with receiving images of child pornography. He also was charged in the indictment with one count of possession of child pornography.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Brown could be sentenced to up to five years in prison on the receiving images of child pornography charge.

After the 30-minute plea hearing, Brown was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service, court records showed.

Brown, who was an assistant professor in graphic design and employed at the university since August 2001, was terminated in February after his indictment, a university spokesman said.

U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge said in February that a search warrant was executed in November after a child pornography task force received a tip from the Arkansas State Police that child pornography was being downloaded onto a computer at Brown’s home. The task force determined the computer belonged to Brown, Eldridge said.

Many of the 630 images found on Brown’s computer were of children 10 years old or younger, Eldridge said.

Arkansas, Pages 11 on 05/03/2014