OGDEN, Utah – A local dentist was arrested on child pornography charges after undercover officers said they received illegal materials from the suspect’s IP address.
Daniel Patrick Alston, 71, was charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to a probable cause statement released in 2nd District Court in Ogden, police were working undercover on the internet looking for IP addresses that were offering to share child pornography. An officer observed an IP address that was offering to share illegal files.
Comcast reported to police that the subscriber of the IP address was Alston, the probable cause statement said.
On Feb. 15, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant at Alston’s address and found 10 files of child sexual pornography.
The probable cause statement said that Alston admitted to downloading the illegal files, “due to curiosity and the ‘forbidden’ nature of the materials.”
Alston was booked into jail by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, where bail was set at $100,000.
Wednesday, Alston’s license to practice as a dentist in the state of Utah was made limited in response to the allegations. A document from the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing indicates the license will remain limited and Alston will not practice dentistry until the allegations against him are resolved.
The order to limit Alston’s license is “not a finding of unprofessional or unlawful conduct, nor is it disciplinary action against Respondent or Respondent’s license.” The agency may continue to investigate and could take disciplinary action at a later time.
