A 66-year-old man accused of possessing and receiving child pornography entered pleas of not guilty Wednesday morning at a hearing before a federal judge in Texarkana.
Charles Donald Thompson appeared for arraignment with Assistant Federal Public Defender Alex Wynn before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant in Texarkana's downtown federal building. A two-count indictment handed down June 26 in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas charges Thompson with possessing a hard drive Dec. 12 with pornographic images of children under the age of 12 and of receiving images of child pornography Dec. 9.
Wynn waived the issue of detention at Wednesday's hearing and Thompson remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The government was represented at Wednesday's hearing by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Wulff.
Included in Thompson's indictment is a notice from the government that seeks Thompson's forfeiture of a Hitachi desktop hard drive, an HP Pavilion desktop computer tower, and any other computer equipment or cell phones used in the commission of the alleged offenses.
Thompson faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both if convicted of possession of child pornography. If found guilty of receiving child pornography, Thompson faces five to 20 years in federal prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both.
Thompson could also be required to register as a sex offender.
Bryant set the case for jury selection Aug. 22 before U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey in Texarkana.
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