Ashburn Police make child pornography arrest - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Ashburn Police make child pornography arrest

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November 2, 2006

Ashburn -- A south Georgia man inadvertantly helped police nab him for child pornography. When police in Ashburn checked out an abandoned home where he 40-year-old James Randall Flanagan did construction work, they were shocked by what they found inside.

It's an example of how a nationwide problem can happen even in small towns.

James R. Flanagan is now in the Turner County Jail charged with one count of possession of child pornography. It carries a penalty between 1 to 20 years in prison. He may face more charges.

"GBI came in to help out with the investigation on that and there are some pending charges and this is still under investigation," said Ashburn Police Chief Ben Sumner.

Ashburn police took Flanagan into custody Thursday afternoon. Police say they had a request to increase patrolling in downtown Ashburn, which helped lead to his arrest.

Investigators say it was Flanagan himself who requested more patrolling here in South Main Street. After that officers drove by this house and found the doors left wide open.

"They investigated and then discovered some items that we later found out belonged to Mr. Flanagan. A DVD player, some DVDs that contained child pornography," said Sumner.

Police say he worked at this abandoned house in the 400 block of South Main Street, and he lived right around the corner on Martin Luther King Boulevard. In addition to the indecent material, investigators also took Flanagan's computer for evidence. Police say the crime is rare in the small town, but it does happen.

"This happens all across the country, even in small towns. It's just something that we want the community to be aware of," said Sumner.

Investigators will continue to look into this case to determine what other charges Flanagan may face.

Police say they found the material at the abandoned home on South Main Street Wednesday morning. They found Flanagan at the home and took him into custody today.

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