Boy Scout official charged with child porn

DALLAS - A long-time official with the Boy Scouts of America has been charged with receiving and distributing child pornography, the US attorney's office in Dallas said.

In a charge filed by prosecutors last week, programming director Douglas Smith was accused of downloading photographs from the internet that showed "minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct" and distributing them.

Boy Scouts spokesman Greg Shields said the organisation, based in the Dallas suburb of Irving, was "shocked and dismayed."

"We work very hard to provide a good organisation and we are proud of our hard-working employees, but unfortunately child pornography is a societal problem," he said. "To the best of our recollection this has never happened before."

Smith worked for the Boy Scouts for 39 years, Shields said. As director of programs, he did not have contact with children.

"He was in an administrative position," he said. "An apt description would be mid-level manager."

He said the organisation had allowed federal agents to search Smith's office and computer in late February. Smith was placed on administrative leave, then he retired, Shields said.

Smith was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday before US Judges Charles Bleil, according to documents from US Attorney Richard Roper.

He made an earlier court appearance on Friday and was released without bail, the documents said.

The scouts have been under fire in recent years for refusing to allow gays, atheists or agnostics into the organisation.

"That's totally irrelevant to this," Shields said.

- REUTERS