NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- The commercial airliners pilot arrested in Louisville on child pornography charges faced a judge in Indiana on Friday.
Robert Brown Jr., 47, was arrested at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport when he stepped off of a plane Jan. 17. He is charged with two counts of Child Exploitation.
Brown appeared in a Jefferson County courtroom earlier in the week to be extradited to New Albany, where the warrant originates. Facing a judge on his charges for the first time Friday, Brown entered a not guilty plea and a judge set his bond at $100,000 full cash.
During the initial hearing, the prosecuting attorney told the judge there’s a possibility additional charges could come against Brown during the case. He didn’t specify what those were and declined to comment.
“You’d have to ask the prosecutor,” Brown’s attorney Richard Rush said. “I don’t know what the additional charges might be.”
Brown also surrendered his passport and agreed to allow authorities to search his luggage that was seized at the airport when he was arrested.
“Mr. Brown waived his right to object, waived the right to a hearing,” Rush said. “He has agreed to allow them to obtain that.”
In speaking with WDRB News following the hearing, Rush said the two voluntarily met with the Louisville Metro Police detective assigned to the case. Rush said at that point, a search warrant had already been issued at Brown’s house, but it was prior to any charges being filed.
Promises made during that meeting with LMPD, Rush said, weren’t kept.
“We were given assurances by the detective that if charges were filed, he should be afforded and opportunity to surrender himself to avoid the circus that happened at the airport,” he said. “We weren’t given that opportunity.”
Furthermore, Rush said that because of Brown voluntarily coming in for questioning knowing the charges he could face proves he’s not a flight risk.
“If you had the means and ability to flee, that would’ve been the time to do it,” he said. “Not come over to the police station and subject yourself to questioning.”
Brown will be back in court Jan. 28 for a bond reduction hearing.
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