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Feds: Former CT children s museum director distributed child sexual abuse images
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A file photo of a judge’s gavel.Getty Images / Contributed Photo
The former director of a Connecticut children’s museum has been charged on an indictment with distributing images of child sexual abuse, according to federal prosecutors.
A federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment on Tuesday, charging Robert Eckert, 56, of Simsbury, with distribution of child pornography. Eckert appeared before Judge Robert A. Richardson on Thursday and pleaded not guilty.
Eckert was held pending a follow-up bond hearing, scheduled for Friday.
During Thursday’s court appearance held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic prosecutors alleged that Eckert used online platforms to distribute images of child sexual abuse and to communicate with other individuals about distributing these images.
Former children’s museum director pleads not guilty to child pornography charge
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Robert Eckert, 56, of Simsbury, is being charged with distribution of child pornography.
The U.S. Dept. of Justice said Eckert faced a judge this week, entering a not guilty plea.
Eckert is accused of using multiple online platforms to “distribute images of child sexual abuse and to communicate with others about the distribution of child pornography,” authorities said.
He’s also accused of accessing these online platforms on his phone, at his house, and at the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester.
At the time, he was employed as the museum’s executive director.
Ex-children s museum leader pleads not guilty to child porn
by The Associated Press
Last Updated Apr 9, 2021 at 10:58 am EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. A former leader of a Connecticut children’s museum has been charged with distributing images of child sexual abuse online, including while he worked for the museum.
Robert Eckert, 56, of Simsbury, former executive director of the Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester, pleaded not guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography Thursday via a video conference in federal court in Hartford. He is detained pending a bail hearing Friday afternoon.
The museum, founded in 1953, offers educational programs and exhibits including live animals. It is known around the state as home to Chuckles, Connecticut’s spring-prognosticating groundhog.