U.S. Man Charged with Viewing Child Porn on Flight
Grant Smith, 47, from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, was arrested for watching child pornography aboard a domestic flight. Smith was on a flight to Boston. According to reports, the discovery was made by a fellow passenger, who recorded the incident on his mobile phone and alerted the flight crew.
Smith was arrested moments after the plane landed and his laptop confiscated by the Massachusetts State Police.
Child pornography is a form of child sexual abuse, nothing less. Those who possess it - a crime unto itself - foster an evil network that sexually abuses and exploits children irreparably, said David Procopio, a State Police spokesman.
Smith is currently being held at the Logan Airport Barracks, on a $15,000 bail bond. Police say the investigations are continuing and more charges may be levied against him. He will be arraigned before a judge Tuesday.
According to the Protect Act of 2003 and a federal law titled, Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today, offenders can receive a maximum sentence of 5 years for possession and 10 years for distribution of child pornography.
A report on Boston.com confirms that Grant Smith is professor of Material Science and Engineering at the University of Utah.
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