A Maryland State Trooper who is a 13-year veteran of the state police force has recently been charged with multiple counts of possession and distribution of child pornography. The incidents leading to the charges against Bruce Allen Tucker, 47, took place over a period of several months. The investigation into Tucker's acts began in March, and police discovered that his computer held more than 3,000 images of nude children and children engaged in sex acts. Tucker is accused of both receiving and exchanging child pornography via the computer. According to investigators, all exchanges of obscene material occurred while Tucker was off-duty. The trooper was arrested on July 16 and released on $50,000 bail. It is not clear whether or not Tucker has retained a Maryland criminal attorney to defend him against the charges.

Prior to his arrest, the trooper was serving in the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the state police force. Earlier in his career, Tucker spent eight years working in the Maryland State Police force's executive protection unit, which protects Maryland's governor and lieutenant governor. Tucker was a member of the executive protection unit during the administrations of Governor Robert Ehrlich and Governor Martin O'Malley.

According to spokeswoman Elena Russo, the Maryland State Police has suspended Tucker without pay as a result of his arrest and child pornography charges.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer or DC Criminal Defense Lawyer websites.