U. of Utah professor Grant Smith placed on administrative leave after his arrest for allegedly viewing child pornography
CNN
November 28, 2011
A University of Utah professor, arrested over the weekend for allegedly viewing child pornography on his laptop during a flight, will be arraigned on Monday in a Boston court.
Police arrested Grant D. Smith, 47, on Saturday when a Delta Airlines flight from Salt Lake City landed at Boston's Logan Airport.
A passenger tipped off authorities that Smith was using his laptop to view images of child pornography while a passenger in the first class section of the plane, the Massachusetts State Police said.
CNN affiliate WCVB said a passenger took a cellphone photo of Smith allegedly watching the video.
"The notion that someone would be so bold as to view it in public is extraordinary and I'm not sure what the explanation is," victim's advocate, Wendy Murphy, told the station.
The Daily Utah Chronicle, the University of Utah's student newspaper, said Smith is a professor of material science and engineering at the university.
In a statement to the newspaper, the university said Smith has been placed on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation.
