Former County Officer Charged With Child Porn Possession

The former San Mateo County Chief Probation Officer was charged Thursday of two felony counts of possessing child pornography, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Stuart Forrest, 61, of San Mateo was accused of possessing child pornography on Dec. 20 and 21 and was placed on paid administrative leave the same day. He retired 10 days later.

During his three years as the County's chief probation officer, his department was responsible for implementing appropriate punishments for criminals while also aiding offenders to become productive, law-abiding citizens.

To avoid a possible conflict of interest, the state Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office prosecuted Forrest, rather than the San Mateo County District Attorney, Steve Wagstaffe.  

"I felt that it was appropriate for the AG's office to prosecute the case in light of the close working relationship that my office has with the Probation Department,” Wagstaffe told The Chronicle. 

The U.S. Postal Inspector Service initially began investigating the possession of child porn. 

Correction: The original article said Forrest was guilty, when he pled not guilty. 

Tell us in the comments: What do you think Forrest's sentence should be?