(This story was updated to add new information.)
WASHINGTON TWP. ‒ Township trustees have suspended the assistant fire chief following his arrest as part of a federal investigation into possession of child sexual assault material.
Trustee Randy Rodgers confirmed that the board suspended Donald P. Morrow, 58, with pay at an emergency meeting on the morning of May 29.
An affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in support of the criminal complaint against Morrow says he has been employed as a first responder with the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department for over 20 years.
It says he has likely had dozens of interactions with minors. Review of social media also shows Morrow was associated with Stark State College’s Fire Academy. On his LinkedIn page, Morrow lists himself as a fire instructor with 26 years of experience in the fire service,
A Stark State College spokeswoman wrote in an email that Morrow was not a full-time instructor.
“He was an hourly instructional assistant, which means he assisted our full-time faculty in the classroom on a part-time basis,” wrote Rebecca Badar, media specialist. “He is not currently assisting at this time.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. We will take appropriate action as more information becomes available.”
Federal agents arrested Morrow, of Homeworth, on May 28, the same day they searched his home and business, the automobile repair shop Morrow’s Services Inc. in Homeworth.
He faces federal charges of receipt and distribution of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography.
Magistrate Judge Carmen E. Henderson bound Morrow’s case over to a federal grand jury on May 28 after he waived his right to a preliminary examination of the evidence.
The investigation began after FBI agents in Canton received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April about a cloud storage account registered to Morrow. The account was used to host and share suspected child sexual abuse material, according to the affidavit.
Agents who searched Morrow’s home found a briefcase in Morrow’s bedroom containing external hard drives. They contained hundreds of pornographic media files, with at least one involved a toddler, according to the complaint.
Morrow told federal investigators he started viewing child pornography years ago, and admitted to downloading and often paying for the content, the complaint says.
During an interview conducted at the Louisville Police Department, Morrow told agents he preferred content of children in their later teens, 14 to 16 years old.
Morrow is being held in the Mahoning County Jail without bond, awaiting a detention hearing to be scheduled before Henderson in U.S. District Court in Youngstown.
A message was sent to Morrow’s public defender on the morning of June 2 offering the opportunity to comment on his case.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County fire official suspended after arrest in child porn probe
Reporting by Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository / The Repository
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