South Alabamian

Patrick arrested on charges of possessing child pornography






Patrick

Patrick

Former Jackson police officer Robert Patrick, 29, was arrested Monday afternoon by the Jackson Police Department and charged with seven counts of possession of child pornography.

The arrest was the result of a multi-agency investigation, which was conducted by the Jackson Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Clarke County Sheriff’s Department, Clarke County Child Advocacy Center, the 1st Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Patrick was terminated from the police force on March 23, 2015 after an internal investigation determined that Patrick had viewed pornographic sites on police department computers. Some of the sites contained images of young people whose age at the time could not be determined.

A search warrant was executed at Patrick’s residence April 10, 2015, and several electronic devices were seized. The devices were sent to the FBI office in Mobile for analysis by the FBI’s CART team. The analysis revealed 25 images of nude or partially nude children, seven of which were determined to be under the age of 17.

Images of the children were downloaded from the Internet and did not involve any local children.

Possession of child pornography is a Class C felony, punishable by one to 10 years in the state penitentiary.

Patrick was booked into city jail and later transported to the Clarke County Jail. His bond was set at $7,500 for each charge.

Jackson Police Chief Charles Burge said Patrick had undergone a background check and psychological evaluation before being hired to the department.


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