Update: Legal experts question temporary release of child porn convict

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By Geoff Roth

Story Published: Jun 4, 2008 at 11:36 PM EST

Story Updated: Jun 4, 2008 at 11:36 PM EST

The U.S. Attorney's office fought the release Tuesday night of former Fresno County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Vaughn. Vaughn, convicted earlier this year on felony child pornography charges, was allowed to leave jail for several hours to attend his daughter's high school graduation.

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A federal judge denied attempts to stop the release. The U.S. Attorney's office was also upset that Vaughn was put into the custody of a private investigator during his time out of jail. Vaughn was handcuffed to the PI, driven to the graduation in Clovis, where he remained in the car watching the outdoor ceremony. After the ceremony was over he was returned to jail.

Legal experts say compassion releases are routinely given, but questioned the decision in this case, given the gravity of the crimes Vaughn was convicted of, and the fact that someone convicted of possessing child porn was allowed to leave and be taken to a school.

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Friday, Jun 6 at 6:31 PM A Concerned Citizen wrote ...

1] Mr. Vaughn will be released from custody sooner or later. What makes anyone think that he's a danger while being closely supervised during his daughter's graduation? Really, what we ought to be asking is why it took the Government 2 months in court, millions of dollars, and countless hours of assistance from Jill Trumbull-Harris to convict Mr. Vaughn, a retired Sheriff Sergeant, in the first place. Could it be that Vaughn is really innocent? Could it be that the government will not admit it?

Thursday, Jun 5 at 11:31 AM amazed wrote ...

talk about knowing people in right places. He's been convicted, yet he can go where their are children & their families are gathered. The judge dropped the ball on this one.

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