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An Oklahoma man who worked as an assistant district attorney for Payne County and Logan County was arrested Monday for allegedly possessing child pornography.
Kevin Etherington, 53, was charged with one count of aggravated possession of child pornography and one count of violation of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
OSBI ARRESTS ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES
— OSBI (@OSBI_OK) November 29, 2022
On September 1, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children gave 14 cyber tips to the OSBI Internet Crimes Against Children Division (ICAC), which ended up being linked to a single suspect, later identified as Etherington, the OSBI said in a statement.
OSBI ICAC agents conducted a search warrant at Etherington’s home on Monday, where he was later arrested due to the results of the search.
District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas, whom Etherington worked for, announced that he was fired following the news of the charges, per the Oklahoman.
“I cannot express how dismayed and disappointed I am about this development,” Thomas said.
“While the accused stands innocent of the alleged crime until proven guilty, my review of the investigation has resulted in this person’s dismissal from employment by my office,” she added.
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Etherington is currently being held in a Payne County Jail.
The Oklahoman reported that this is not the first time Etherington has either been fired or had legal trouble.
In 2010, he was fired from the Oklahoma Country District Attorney’s office after he reportedly had an affair with a co-worker. He was married to another co-worker at the time.
In 2017, he was charged with larceny after allegedly taking vehicle jack stands from his ex-wife’s house. The charges were dismissed a few months later.
There have been several public officials who have recently been either accused or found guilty of possessing child pornography.
In October, Breitbart News reported that a Democrat former mayor from Beaverton, Oregon, Dennis Doyle, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
In September, a Democrat former councilman from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 to 30 months in jail after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
