FORT SMITH -- A former assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith was sentenced to five years in prison in federal court Tuesday after pleading guilty to downloading child pornography onto his home computer.
Travis Brown, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III after Brown pleaded guilty in April 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.
Brown was an assistant professor in graphic design and had been employed at the university from August 2001 until February, when he was fired after his indictment, the university said.
A news release from the U.S. attorney's office said law enforcement agencies investigating the trade and distribution of child pornography were able to download child pornography images from a person in the Fort Smith area. A federal search warrant was executed at Brown's home on Nov. 25.
In an interview with federal authorities, Brown admitted to downloading images of children engaged in sexual activity. At sentencing, the government presented proof that Brown possessed about 250 images, the release stated.
Metro on 10/16/2014