NORTHAMPTON — An Amherst man was arraigned on child pornography charges Friday in Hampshire Superior Court.
Robert S. Perkins, 73, pleaded not guilty to four counts of possession of child pornography; charges that he had previously been arraigned on in Eastern Hampshire District Court in in Belchertown in October. He was released on personal recognizance by Judge Richard Carey and placed on probation.
According to a statement of facts filed in Eastern Hampshire District Court, Amherst police began investigating Perkins after they were tipped off by the Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Unit upon learning that Microsoft had flagged an image in February. The IP address was forwarded and traced to Amherst by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to court records.
After viewing the image in question, which was of a prepubescent girl, Amherst police executed a search warrant in August, under which they seized and searched four devices, including thumb drives and a laptop, according to court records.
According to the statement of facts, Amherst police allegedly discovered hundreds of images and web searches associated with child pornography on the seized devices. Perkins was charged with one count of possession of child pornography for the flagged image, one count for the laptop and two counts for the USB flash drives.
Perkins was represented in court by attorney David Hoose of Northampton. Perkins is scheduled to appear in court on May 5 for a pretrial hearing.