Butte College employee pleads not guilty to child pornography charges on bail

BUTTE COUNTY, CA — Butte College Police Officer, who was arrested back in August for allegedly stores and distributes child pornography pleaded not guilty in Butte County Superior Court Thursday.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Allen Lamont Charles, 48, was arrested back in April on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography after the Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) received a cyber tip from the National missing persons and exploitation center. Children (NCMEC).

Charles was released from the Butte County Jail the same day he was arrested after posting a $150,000 bond, Ramsey said.

BCSO began investigating information obtained from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) database and discovered that Charles not only possessed images and videos of child pornography, but also distributed some of them to two separate individuals. Ramsey said the accounts used to send the images were also found to be accessed from multiple locations, including Charles’ home and an IP address assigned to the Butte College campus where he worked.

On August 28, Charles was detained when he was leaving home for work. Ramsey said additional electronics were seized from Charles’ person, which were later analyzed and additional images of child pornography were found. During a search of Charles’ home at the time of his arrest, BCSO detectives also found an illegal assault rifle and a silencer.

Charles will return to court on December 4, 2024 for a preliminary hearing. Charles remains out on bond, Ramsey said.