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Former UAFS Professor Accused Of Child Porn Possession Under House Arrest

Former University of Arkansas – Fort Smith graphic design professor Travis Brown was released on a $5,000 signature bond and will be placed under the cust...

Former University of Arkansas - Fort Smith graphic design professor Travis Brown was released on a $5,000 signature bond and will be placed under the custodial supervision of his father, Jack Brown, according to federal court documents.

Brown will be placed under house arrest with an ankle monitoring device. He is banned from having access to the internet, and the judge ordered the wireless signal to Brown's home be disconnected.

Brown is not to have access to pornography of any kind during this time. He is not to have any contact with anyone under 18 without supervision, and he is not allowed to have a passport or firearm.

Brown pleaded not guilty Monday (Feb. 10)  in a federal child pornography case, said Conner Eldridge, U.S. District Attorney of the Western District of Arkansas. Brown’s arrest concluded a five-month investigation by Arkansas State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Eldridge said.

A federal grand jury issued an indictment on Jan. 29 against Brown on suspicion of four counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Brown has no prior criminal history, according to investigators.

While searching Brown’s home, federal investigators discovered 629 images of children aged 10 to 12 years old, Eldridge said. Many of those images were of girls, he said.

The professor is no longer employed at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, according to Sondra LaMar, director of public relations for the campus.

5NEWS reporter Jessica Boykin spoke with neighbors and they are concerned by the news, especially with children living in the area. "We have a lot of children in this neighborhood so it makes you wonder what's going on. You never know who your neighbors are" neighbor Wally Newman says.  Newman says he won't judge Brown until the case is closed however.

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