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November 28, 2011 10:16 AM

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Man arrested for viewing child porn on airplane

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Grant Smith

/ University of Utah

(CBS/AP) BOSTON - A Utah man was arrested Saturday after police say he viewed child pornography on his laptop while flying between Salt Lake City and Boston.

Grant Smith, 47, was sitting in first class on the Delta flight when a fellow passenger allegedly saw the images on Smith's computer and alerted the flight crew. The passenger also reportedly called a family member and asked him to call the police.

Just after the plane landed at Logan Airport, Smith was met by state troopers who asked to see his computer. He obliged, and was arrested. Smith has been charged with possessing child pornography and is being held on $15,000 bail. He is being arraigned Monday.

According to the Boston Globe, Smith is a professor at the University of Utah.

In response to the arrest, Massachusetts State Police Spokesman David Procipio issued this statement:

"In the view of the State Police, child pornography is a form of child sexual abuse-nothing less. Those who possess it -- a crime unto itself -- foster an evil network that sexually abuses and exploits children irreparably."

23 Comments +

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by Ang_Forkidzsafety November 30, 2011 9:15 PM EST: now, if we can make people like the person who reported this horrific bs the 99% we would be a much better society!!!; Reply to this comment


by whoduckingcares November 29, 2011 3:08 PM EST: I guess he wanted to join the mile high club by himself and needed a little help.; Reply to this comment


by Samlv November 28, 2011 7:39 PM EST: From Utah. The number one state for online porn subscriptions.; Reply to this comment


by jscott418-21618367473133020464 November 28, 2011 7:34 PM EST: I cannot believe the guy was so stupid as too do this. He deserves to be thrown in jail. Those that question his privacy are not familiar with public display. If you going to do something that's against the law and is viewed by the public as a witness. that constitutes enough cause for police or authorities to investigate. This guy could have been smart and tried to delete everything. But if he so dumb as too watch it. I guess he probably was not smart enough to erase it.; Reply to this comment

by scottyusa November 28, 2011 6:59 PM EST

Lets face it folks. Even professors do dumb things. You have to be an idiot in a world of your own to watch porn on a lap top in an airplane. Kids walking up the isle to the bathroom could see it on the way by. A person sitting next to you could see it for crying out loud lol.

Reply to this comment


by jenz56 November 29, 2011 6:40 PM EST: I think you missed something. He was not arrested for viewing porn on a plane. He was arrested for possession of CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. Get it yet?

by Lerianis4 November 28, 2011 6:43 PM EST

As I said on another thread about this, something reeks about this.

First off, everyone knows that child pornography is illegal, so WHY would you watch it when others are around you?

Two, could this possibly have been NUDISM stuff, which is legal in the United States as long as there is no focusing on the genitalia?

Too many questions about this to make any determination.

Reply to this comment


by scottyusa November 28, 2011 7:01 PM EST: Yeah someone else coul;d have secretly placed the photos on his laptop in a file labeled "surprise".

by djseavy November 28, 2011 6:09 PM EST

There is no expectation of privacy other than in your own home. That, too, has some exceptions. If you walk past a window naked, with the curtains open, your privacy expectation is gone. Your trash is not protected by privacy. Only what you do in the confines of your home, and only if nobody from the outside can see in and view what's going on. When you sit on public transportation and view child porn, there is no expectation of privacy. Law enforcement can't just walk up to you and demand to see your laptop if it's closed and nobody has witnessed a crime such as possession of child porn. Once you open it and display such pics in a public place, however, the computer is fair game.

Reply to this comment


by democracy8 November 28, 2011 6:40 PM EST: Absolutely correct on all points. It amazes me how anyone in their right mind can defend this guy's actions!

by Atlanticum November 28, 2011 5:34 PM EST

Agree...something is very odd about the source of this story and the event sequences. If he was doing it, then we have 2 crimes:

1)Owning child pornography.

2)Responses on this comment forum from self-righteous people who would hang a man without even trying him---based upon something some nosey person on the plane saw.

Reply to this comment


by democracy8 November 28, 2011 6:36 PM EST: Um, the cops have the evidence.


by jenz56 November 29, 2011 6:43 PM EST: Cops arrested him after they looked at his laptop.


by markag55 November 28, 2011 5:28 PM EST: Very few people could have done anything so stupid such as this. It's not an invasion of privacy since, as democracy8 pointed out, he was observed in a public space.

Even if he had been doing this in the privacy of his own home and someone saw it, they would have reported it to the police who would have had to get a search warrant.

But the law does not need a search warrant when such an abhorrent travesty such as this is done in plain (plane, also) view.

I hope this "bust" leads to taking down an entire child pornography ring. Hopefully, he'll have email addresses, websites, etc. on his computer.

I taught middle school for 25 years, and two other teachers were arrested for child molestation. I find the mere idea of pedophilia revolting. Any bizarre consensual sex between adults should stay between them, whether I agree or not. However, children are just that--children.

Whether "just" watching child pornography or actual molestation, it is and should be against the law. This guy is as psychologically screwed up as he is stupid.; Reply to this comment


by train99 November 28, 2011 4:56 PM EST: This is fishy. This story is headlined for the second day with no more details than the first.
Univ. of Utah professor? He's flying first class?
Maybe there exist people stupid enough to peruse child porn (child porn? ANY porn)obviously enough so someone in a roomy first class cabin could survey the scene, assess the ages in the photos.
Maybe a professor was so bored flying first class that he thought it was time to masturbate to his collection of photos.
Maybe. But I can also imagine this is witch-hunt mentality in operation after the Penn State horror show.; Reply to this comment

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