Ex-Narragansett Regional School Committee member charged with child pornography possession
TEMPLETON – A former Narragansett Regional School Committee member and Templeton business owner has been charged with possession of child pornography.
The defendant, Audrey Robinson, also known as AJ Robinson, was arraigned on July 11 in Winchendon District Court for a felony count of possession of child pornography. Robinson was arraigned under her legal name, which is also the name she used when she served on the Narragansett Regional School Committee for three years after being elected in 2014.
Robinson, owner of Serendipity Salon, entered a plea of not guilty to the charge and was released on $1,000 cash bail. Robinson told the court she would retain private counsel, and Kristen J. Patria of Fitchburg was listed as her attorney.
Neither Robinson or Patria could be reached for comment.
According to a police report prepared by Templeton Police Sgt. Derek Hall, Robinson was interviewed at home on Aug. 30, 2021, by Sgt. Hall and two FBI agents after an account on the instant messaging app Kik traced to Robinson allegedly was used to send two images and two videos depicting child sexual abuse to an undercover agent in March 2021.
The account of the person who sent the images was later allegedly connected to Robinson through the IP address and other identifying factors.
According to the report, while being interviewed, Robinson denied sending the child sexual abuse images and signed a consent form to allow Sgt. Hall to view the contents of her cellphone while in her possession. During this process, Sgt. Hall stated that he saw a child sexual abuse image while Robinson scrolled through photos, and he told Robinson the phone was being seized and a search warrant obtained. The report states Robinson then asked for a lawyer and the officers left.
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The report states that a search warrant to conduct a forensic examination of the phone was granted by the Winchendon District Court on Oct. 25, 2021, and a full file system extract of the device was completed by the Massachusetts State Police Cyber Crime Unit and Massachusetts State Police Trooper Brandon Knox on March 14, 2022. The investigation revealed the phone allegedly contained hundreds of files of child sexual abuse material, and the trooper was also able to access an email account on the phone with thousands of child sexual abuse material sent and received.
According to court records, Robinson was summoned to appear for an arraignment hearing at Winchendon District Court on Friday, July 8, but failed to appear. A warrant was issued and served, and Robinson was arraigned on Monday, July 11, on a charge of possession of child pornography.
Robinson is due back in court on Aug. 19.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Child porn charge filed against ex-Narragansett School Committee rep
