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$5.4 million bond set for Army sergeant on 36 child porn charges

Sgt. Dustin Hogan enters the Enterprise Courthouse Wednesday

By Michelle Mann
Published: February 03, 2010

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Bond was set at $5.4 million Wednesday afternoon for an Army sergeant charged withn 36 counts of possession of obscene matter.
District Judge Paul Sherling set the multi-million-dollar bond for Dustin Ray Hogan, 30, of New Brockton following a recommendation by 12th Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Tom Anderson who called the charges “abhorrent, repulsive.” The $5.4 million total amounts to $150,000 for each of the 36 charges against Hogan.
Hogan was initially arrested Jan. 28 and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony possession of a controlled substance.
At Hogan’s initial court appearance on the drug-related charges on Jan.. 29, 12th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Gary McAliley told the court during execution of a search warrant at Hogan’s home, a computer was discovered that had 18 videos involving child pornography on it.
During that hearing, McAliley told the court the videos in Hogan’s home involved Hogan and two children age 8 and 10 engaged in deviant sexual acts that McAliley called “the worst I have ever seen in the 35 years I have been a judge and a district attorney.”
Anderson told the court Tuesday that Hogan is ‘threat to the public, children in particular,” and is a flight risk. Charges against Hogan are also expected in Illinois, where some of the videos were allegedly made, Anderson said. The Army may also choose to court martial Hogan, Anderson added.
During the 15-minute hearing, Sherling also declared Hogan partially indigent and appointed Enterprise attorney Carmen Howell to represent him. Hogan remains in the Coffee County Jail.