A Fort Smith man arrested in connection with charges of possession of child pornography in 2012 pleaded guilty to one of six counts Monday morning in the U.S. District Court for Western Arkansas.
Thomas Harold Morgan, 48, of Fort Smith was arrested in June 2012 and charged with five counts of receiving a visual depiction of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Morgan, who worked as a children’s entertainer under the name “Sondance the Clown,” pleaded guilty to the first count of receiving a visual depiction of child pornography in the courtroom of Chief Judge P.K. Holmes III in Fort Smith, according to court documents.
Connor Eldridge, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, released a statement Monday afternoon regarding the case.
“To victimize innocent children is both horrendous and inexcusable and is especially disturbing considering that this individual sought situations in which he could be around kids by posing as a clown,” Eldridge said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Candace Taylor, who is prosecuting the case against Morgan, is expected to produce a presentence investigation report within the next several weeks, according to Holmes’ office. At that time, a sentencing date will be set for Morgan.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office statement, factors including Morgan’s role in the offense, details of the violation and any prior criminal history Morgan may have will be considered during his sentencing.
Morgan is being held at the Sebastian County jail in Fort Smith, where he has been in custody since his arraignment, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Fort Smith. Morgan will remain in custody until his sentencing.
Morgan was arrested after Fort Smith Police Department officers detected him downloading child pornography to his home computer over the Internet in June 2012.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 10/29/2013