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Mid accused of storing child porn

A hearing involving a Naval Academy senior accused of possessing child pornography got underway Monday at the Washington Navy Yard.

Midshipman 1st Class Michael Pollard faces several charges at the Article 32 hearing, including:

* Attempt to distribute child pornography.

* Conduct unbecoming an officer by impeding an investigation, by deleting child pornography.

* Conduct unbecoming an officer by impeding an investigation, by installing a new operating system on his computer to erase information.

* Conduct unbecoming an officer by making a false official statement to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

* Conduct unbecoming an officer by possessing pornography.

* Four counts of violating Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, known as the general article, by knowingly possessing and receiving more than 1,000 pornographic images and video files on two laptops and one external hard drive.

Prosecutors said the images Pollard allegedly collected were of pre-pubescent boys.

One of Pollard’s roommates testified that he accidentally found child pornography on Pollard’s government-issued laptop. Midshipman 1st Class Mikoto Yoshida said Monday that he used Pollard’s computer to watch a television show and clicked on something called “Boy Party.”

The Article 32 — the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing — was expected to continue through Monday.

The hearing’s presiding officer will then recommend to Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler whether the case should go to court-martial.