Update: Southold man released on bail after arrest for possession of child porn
A Southold man accused of possessing child pornography involving a 10-year-old pleaded not guilty and was released on $10,000 cash bail after his arraignment in Southold Town Justice Court.
Trent Stack, 44, was charged with one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a class E felony, and Suffolk County prosecutor Robert Archer said additional charges may follow.
Mr. Stack was arrested at 6:30 a.m. this morning after police executed a search warrant at 100 Summer Lane in Southold, the home he rents from his father, according to his Legal Aid attorney, Emily Miller.
Southold Town police assisted in the arrest along with the Federal Long Island Exploited Children’s Task Force, according to a police report, which stated the search warrant was part of a continuing investigation into distribution of child pornography over the internet.
Ms. Miller said Mr. Stack had lived at the address for 20 years and works at his family’s business in Hampton Bays. She noted he had no prior arrests and didn’t own a passport. Mr. Stack’s father and sister were in the courtroom to support him, she added.
“He is not a flight risk,” she said, asking Southold Town Justice Brian Hughes that her client be released without bail.
But Mr. Archer said the severity of the charge warranted a high bail. He said investigators were still examining for more evidence that could lead to additional charges and asked Justice Hughes to set bail at $100,000.
The judge ultimately set bail at $10,000 cash, which was paid later that day, court officials said.
Family members did not speak with media after the arraignment.
Southold police chief Martin Flatley said Suffolk police were leading the child pornography investigation.
“They generated the case through their computer crime section,” he said.
Detective Sergeant John Best of the Suffolk Police computer crime unit said officers seized a laptop computer and phone during the search warrant.
Det. Sgt. Best said law enforcement tools allow police to track certain “known child pornographic images” that are distributed across the internet. When police can identify an image being uploaded or downloaded, it can sometimes be traced back to an IP address to allow police to narrow down an address for a suspect.
Photo caption: Trent Stack is led into Southold Town Justice Court to be arraigned on a felony possession of child pornography charge. (Credit: Paul Squire)
Update 10 a.m. Thursday: This post was updated to reflect Mr. Stack’s release on cash bail.
