At the close of 2011, the Grand Rapids Press reported that a former Cadillac Schools principal had been accused of viewing child porn on one of the school’s laptops. Forty-three-year-old Andrew Patrick Brown had been the principal at Forest View Elementary School in Cadillac when a criminal investigation into his computer use began. When police began to investigate allegations of inappropriate computer use, Mr. Brown was dismissed from the school.
Right after Christmas, Brown was arrested by state police and charged with 10 counts involving the possession of child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime. According to the allegations, Mr. Brown used the laptop and the ISP at the school to access the Internet and search for and view pornographic images involving children.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that Brown was arraigned in District Criminal Court where his bond was set at $5,000. The judge stipulated that with the exception of family, Mr. Brown cannot have any contact with any children unless supervised. Police and school officials have reassured parents and the public at large that they do not believe any students were ever harmed by Brown and that his alleged actions were limited to viewing the pornography online during October and early November.
Child pornography is a growing problem in American society and is considered one of the most heinous crimes that can be committed. However, under the laws of our country, even those accused of serious criminal activity have the right to legal representation by a criminal lawyer. It may very well be that Andrew Brown is guilty of the charges that he faces. However, there have also been cases where an innocent person has been similarly charged after someone else has used their computer to access illegal material.
This is why we do not permanently lock someone up the minute they are charged. Rather, every person accused of criminal activity has the right and are given access to a criminal lawyer who will work to defend and protect them. It is so easy to become jaded by the stories that we read in the Grand Rapids Press or that we see on the nightly news, but it is important to remember that regardless of how unbiased reporters try to be, those news stories often present only one side of the story.
A good criminal lawyer in Grand Rapids helps a judge or a jury to hear the other side of the story: the side of the story that is concerned with the accuracy of the accusation. It is the side of the story that all of us should be concerned with, as well, because it is the side of the story in our nation that continues to protect our freedoms and our liberties.
