A Dallas man who unwittingly left his cellphone on a gas pump is facing serious legal trouble. The 32-year old man must confront federal child pornography possession charges after his cellphone was found by a woman at the Shell station on Interstate 35E on New Year's Day. Approximately an hour after the woman found the cellphone, it rang and the accused man offered her $250 to return it.

The phone contained a pass code, preventing the woman from accessing the phone. After the man contacted her, he gave the woman the code so she could call him to set up a meeting to return it. Suspicious about the reward offer, the woman looked through the phone contents and discovered explicit images. She then turned the phone over to Lancaster police, who called federal authorities.

Federal agents claim to have discovered that the man exchanged the pornographic images of children with people all over the country. When approached by agents at his home in Red Oak, the man allegedly stated that he had been trading the child pornography over his phone for a period of six months. He was then taken into custody.

When he was 16, the man was apparently placed on probation, accused of the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl. Because of that, he was forced to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Nine years later he was convicted of a felony count of failing to register and sentenced to two years in prison. He served less than five months before being paroled.

While the pending charges are understandably serious, it is important to remember that the man is innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Penalties for sex-related offenses in Texas can be significant so it is important to know one's legal rights when faced with these types of charges. Speaking with someone knowledgeable in the area of criminal defense may help determine the proper course of action to respond to the charges.

Source: Beaumont Enterprise, "Lost cell phone leads to child porn arrest for Dallas man," Jason Trahan, Feb. 7, 2012