52-year-old Glenn Casey Portwood of Sugar Land, Texas, is facing four charges relating to child pornography. On April 3, U.S. Magistrate Judge Frances Stacy ordered that Portwood remain in federal custody until his trial. Stacy stated that the defendant is a danger to the community, according to court documents obtained by Breitbart Texas.
Portwood is accused of possessing child pornography and allegedly attempting to distribute it. More specifically, according to a March 20 indictment, Portwood is charged with two counts of receipt, one count of attempted distribution and one count of possession of child pornography.
Officers received a warrant to search Portwood’s house in September 2012, after discovering that his computer was allegedly sharing pornographic files, according to an FBI press release. Court documents claim that all of the pornography recovered from Portwood was found in his vehicle, a black Honda. Videos and photos of child pornography were discovered on four CDs that were allegedly in his backpack. In addition to the CDs, an external hard drive containing more than 51,000 child pornographic images were also reportedly confiscated.
Agents testified that the images depicted rape and children engaging in sex. Some of the minor depicted were babies and toddlers, according to the FBI.
An Order of Detention stated that Portwood’s charges are considered crimes “of violence” due to the immediate threat that he allegedly poses to children. Portwood has a history of sexual charges involving children, according to court documents. There are currently two pending charges against him, both relating to sexual assault of a child. In 2001, he was charged for attempting to videotape intercourse with his niece. Then in 2011, he was charged with “digital penetration” of his daughter’s 12-year-old-friend.
Portwood currently lives with his mother and two young children in a retirement community. In this environment, he has access to young children on a regular basis.
Due to these various factors, Judge Stacy ordered Portwood remain in federal custody because “there is probable cause to believe that the defendant has committed an offense” and “there is a serious risk that the defendant will flee.”
A spokesperson from the Sugar Land Police department told Breitbart Texas that crimes in the area involving child pornography are relatively rare.
“We do work these cases from time to time,” the spokesman said. “We have one detective committed to these kinds of cases, but it’s not something we deal with on a regular basis.”
Portwood is set to go to trial on May 19. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a sizable fine.
Just last month, Breitbart Texas reported on a child pornography incident that took place near Dallas. In that case, 43-year-old Erika Susan Perdue, a wealthy socialite grandmother, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for running a child porn operation. She would trade porn and take drugs in her $1.4 million mansion while her attorney husband was at work. When Perdue is released from prison, she will be forced to register as a sex offender.
Portwood Indictment by BreitbartTexas
Portwood Detention by BreitbartTexas
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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