Fort Smith’s “Sondance The Clown” Thomas Morgan was sentenced Thursday to more than seven years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to a charge of receiving child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Morgan received an 87-month sentence, along with 10 years of supervised release from Judge P.K. Holmes in federal court in Fort Smith. He pleaded guilty to the child pornography charge in October and has since been awaiting sentencing.
Because of the charge, Morgan could have faced up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
“It’s horrendous, disturbing, reprehensible, egregious. Pick any word that you want,” said U.S. Attorney Connor Eldridge. “But this is the kind of conduct that we can’t let happen in our community, and scares all of us as parents. And again, as a prosecutor, it’s our job to throw the book at a guy like this.”
Five other criminal counts against Morgan were dismissed in October in federal court. However, Eldridge said those charges being dropped had no effect on the sentencing in this case.
Morgan was arrested in June on charges of distributing, possessing or viewing child pornography when an online investigation led the Fort Smith Police Department to his home in the 500 block of S. 20th St.
Police seized several items of what they said was digital media containing child pornography.
On his LinkedIn profile, Morgan indicates he was Boss Clown at Class Clown Productions from 2007 to 2011. His specialties are listed as “physical comedy, juggling and pointless variety skills.” He attended Central Methodist College for one year in the mid-1980s, his profile indicates.
