(Strange) Cruise Passenger Arrested On Child-Porn Charges

[blackbird71]

I saw this on my lunch reading of the Tampa Trib. All I can think is somebody tipped Customs off.. I can not believe they are scanning everybody's hard drive coming off a ship. I know in St. Thomas customs has a list of pax that brought big ticket items, and if you do not show up to pay your duty, they call you down

 

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBYO5T80LE.html

 

Cruise Passenger Arrested On Child-Porn Charges

 

Published: Mar 20, 2006

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TAMPA - A cruise had an unexpected ending for one passenger after a U.S. Customs inspector found child pornography on the man's laptop computer.

 

Clay W. Long, 45, of Ponte Verde Beach, stepped off the Legend of the Seas cruise ship about noon Saturday at the Port of Tampa, after a seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise to Mexico and the Cayman Islands.

 

A customs inspector asked to look through files on Long's laptop computer, according to an arrest report. There, the inspector found a file labeled "Dell Hard Drive Backup," which contained pictures of children in sexual poses.

 

Long was arrested on one count of possessing child pornography. He was released from the Orient Road Jail on Sunday after posting $2,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment.

[crusinmama06]

I am all for arresting the sicko pig, but how or why would they search his laptop? I just can't imagine taking enough time to find them in a dell backup file.

 

Very odd.

[Travelgrrl]

Maybe he used his laptop in conjunction with RCI's online service and downloaded kiddy porn and therefore RCI knew?

[crusinmama06]

Maybe he used his laptop in conjunction with RCI's online service and downloaded kiddy porn and therefore RCI knew?

 

Good point.

[OliverTheCat]

Wow, I didnt realize this happened. I was on that cruise too.

[site41]

I travel a lot for work (commercial pilot) and Canadian Customs as well as US Customs have been seaching labtops and pda's for about a year and a half. Its a random search, thus making it legal (I think).... I don't know about US customs (it sounds like they searched the computer on the spot), but in Canada they take your laptop and search it and then they send it back via FedEx w/an apology letter....

 

All that said, I am glad they caught the guy...

 

Site41

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Really glad they caught the pervert too. Just wondering, maybe this "person" was already on some kind of watch or suspect list for such behavior. Possibly authorities were already tracking him and knew he was on board. Grabbing him as he deboarded was a great time to make the nab.

[Fury1995]

Note to self:

 

Remove all editions of tax software this week from my laptop.:eek:

[Iamthesea]

I'll bet there will be a lot less passengers taking their laptop with them on cruises now after this gets out. :rolleyes:

[parrotthead]

I'll bet there will be a lot less passengers taking their laptop with them on cruises now after this gets out. :rolleyes:

Only if they have child porn on them...:eek: :mad:

[K&RCurt]

Really glad they caught the pervert too. Just wondering, maybe this "person" was already on some kind of watch or suspect list for such behavior. Possibly authorities were already tracking him and knew he was on board. Grabbing him as he deboarded was a great time to make the nab.

 

This is a distinct possibility as it was in the news last week that a large internet child pornography ring was broken up by law enforcement. The more of these sickos they get out of circulation the better, IMO. Hard to believe he got out on only $2,000.00 bail though.

[rose102798]

Maybe he was a part of the big FBI bust on "kiddie porn" pigs that just happened last week. Maybe they were waiting for him. (Saw in the newspaper there was one from FLA.)

 

Hope so -- proves to me that the cruiselines are checking out their guests for our safety. (??)

[bobbie0253]

 

Hope so -- proves to me that the cruiselines are checking out their guests for our safety. (??)

 

 

No, if the cruise line had anything to do with it, they would have got him before he got on a ship full of kids(assuming there were kids on board), not after he spent a week on the ship.

 

Which brings up another point. If this guy was on that ship, they can be anywhere. Keep an eye on your kids....The ship is not as safe as it may appear.

 

Bobbie

[KreiderCarter]

What it likely was is this man had been previously caught with Child Porn. His name appeared on a hit list when the passenger manifest was run by Customs and he was preselected for a more intensive inspection prior to him even exiting the ship.

 

The same thing happens to prior drug smugglers. Get caught once and expect to be checked every time you re-enter the country.

[crusinmama06]

Which brings up another point. If this guy was on that ship, they can be anywhere. Keep an eye on your kids....The ship is not as safe as it may appear.

 

Bobbie

 

My thoughts EXACTLY! We'll need to keep this post as a reminder the next time someone asks if its safe to let their 5 year old wander the ship. :rolleyes:

[blackbird71]

I travel a lot for work (commercial pilot) and Canadian Customs as well as US Customs have been seaching labtops and pda's for about a year and a half.

Site41

 

Yipes, I can just see a Custom man trying to pry the PDA out of the fingers of a business man on the run to a business meeting. :D:D

 

I think I have seen that bumper sticker,, You can have my PDA when you pry from my cold dead fingers....

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

My thoughts EXACTLY! We'll need to keep this post as a reminder the next time someone asks if its safe to let their 5 year old wander the ship. :rolleyes:

 

AMEN!

ITA Michelle.....and glad to hear there is one less sicko out there!

 

 

***

[Iamthesea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iamthesea

I'll bet there will be a lot less passengers taking their laptop with them on cruises now after this gets out. :rolleyes:

 

Only if they have child porn on them...:eek: :mad:

That's just my point! Do you realize how many of these perverts are out there? I am willing to bet that there are men on this board that have porn of various types on their computers. :mad: Have you been watching the 20/20 stories and reading the newspapers? Doctors, lawyers, priest, social workers and teachers are being picked up for having kiddie porn. Just last spring, a very respectable, well to do guy in my hometown (and a member of my Sunday School class - wife is a good friend) was picked up for possessing kiddie porn on his computers. An undercover agent caught him. We were all in shock! Now, I wonder about everyone.

 

I hope many more are caught and I applaud the port authority for helping with this crime.

[KreiderCarter]

I hope many more are caught and I applaud the port authority for helping with this crime.

 

Its not the port authority its the Feds (Customs & Border Protection--CBP).

 

Its amazing what people think they can get away with. I'm glad he was caught. It shows that CBP does a little more than just keep you from getting off the ship faster.

[cruisin from florida]

Yipes, I can just see a Custom man trying to pry the PDA out of the fingers of a business man on the run to a business meeting. :D:D

 

I think I have seen that bumper sticker,, You can have my PDA when you pry from my cold dead fingers....

 

 

Yipes - I can just see the business man on a run to a business meeting being hauled off to the hoosegow because he tried to make the Custom man pry his PDA out of his fingers.

 

Business man should not plan his business meeting so close to arrival that a Customs official's perusal of his PDA would cause him to miss it.

 

:-)

[Treven]

Really glad they caught the pervert too. Just wondering, maybe this "person" was already on some kind of watch or suspect list for such behavior. Possibly authorities were already tracking him and knew he was on board. Grabbing him as he deboarded was a great time to make the nab.

Now THAT I think is more likely.

Glad as well; that's one less pervert running loose.

[cusyl]

What it likely was is this man had been previously caught with Child Porn. His name appeared on a hit list when the passenger manifest was run by Customs and he was preselected for a more intensive inspection prior to him even exiting the ship.

 

The same thing happens to prior drug smugglers. Get caught once and expect to be checked every time you re-enter the country.

Obviously this is what happened. I have read where other people have been arrested getting off the ship if there is an outstanding warrant out for them. Good thing to remember if you are hiding out from the law. LOL, they do check those manifests against their wanted lists.

[blackbird71]

Yipes - I can just see the business man on a run to a business meeting being hauled off to the hoosegow because he tried to make the Custom man pry his PDA out of his fingers.

 

Business man should not plan his business meeting so close to arrival that a Customs official's perusal of his PDA would cause him to miss it.

 

:-)

 

You missed the point from the poster I was commenting about, the TAKE your laptop/PDA and return it to you in the FUTURE. Not today maybe a week from now.