As Man Denies Child Porn Allegations, Incest Charge Added
POSTED: Tuesday, January 6, 2009
UPDATED: 4:36 pm EST January 6,
2009
BUNNELL, Fla. -- As a Palm Coast man charged with 37 counts of possessing child pornography told investigators he's "not the monster the news is making him out to be," prosecutors add an additional charge: incest.
Alton Everett Smith Jr., 46, denied taking inappropriate pictures of children and disputed reports from authorities that there are tapes of him having sex with minors.
After being on the lam for a week, Smith was arrested Monday and is being held at the Volusia County jail on $925,000 bond.
Flagler County deputies on Tuesday filed incest charges against Smith and his 25-year-old daughter, who was also arrested and being held on $25,000 bond.
The pornography charges resulted from a search of Smith family's Carlos Court home, which turned up several hundred photos, CDs, VHS tapes and 8mm videos, most showing children posed in sexual positions.
Maj. David O'Brien of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said some photographs show children as young as 8 years old engaging in various sex acts, while others show Smith and his wife, Tina, engaging in sexual acts with minors.
Tina Smith was arrested Dec. 30 on charges of child pornography and is being held in the Flagler County Jail.
Investigators believe most of the photos were taken over a 10-year period at Alton Smith's photo studio -- A-1 Hot Shots -- which closed in 2007.
Any parents whose children had contact with the Smiths or were photographed at their photo studio are asked to contact the sheriff's office at 386-586-4801.
"This continues to be an ongoing investigation," Flagler County Sheriff Donald Fleming said. "Additional charges may be pending."
Copyright 2009 by News4Jax.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.