DATE: Tuesday, July 8, 1997                 TAG: 9707080295

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   49 lines

POLICE OFFICERS, INVESTIGATED IN PORN CASE, ARE BACK AT WORK

Two Chesapeake police officers are back at work after being suspended for more than two months during an investigation into their possible involvement with child pornography on the Internet.

Sgt. R.V. Williams and Detective Robert Lunsford have returned to the department but are not working at their previous jobs, said Sgt. J.E. Welch.

Chesapeake's Internal Affairs Department continues to investigate the matter, Welch said. FBI officials declined to comment on whether they are investigating. The case allegedly involves pornographic pictures of a 16-year-old girl from Illinois.

Williams, a 19-year veteran of the force, is now assigned to uniform patrol out of the headquarters precinct, Welch said. Lunsford, a 12-year veteran, is helping another detective with computer data entry in the Criminal Investigations Department.

``I would interpret his return to work to mean that the Police Department does not think he is guilty of any criminal wrongdoing,'' attorney Andrew Sacks said of Williams, whom he represents. ``We take this as a hopeful sign that he will eventually be cleared by any other investigative agency that might be looking into this matter.''

Troy Spencer, the lawyer representing Lunsford, said his client received his badge and gun back and was told to report to work July 1 after meeting with Police Chief Richard A. Justice. Williams returned the same day, Sacks said.

``We're making progress,'' Spencer said. ``It's my understanding that the Police Department's criminal investigation is over. . . . I think it substantiates my belief that there was nothing criminally done by my client.''

Both attorneys have said they expect the investigation will not produce criminal charges.

As difficult as the situation has been for his client, Spencer says he understands that the accusations are the type that must be taken seriously.

``You can't afford to be less than thorough with this kind of allegation,'' he said.

The officers initially were suspended with pay, but their pay was removed in late May.

The 16-year-old girlin the case, who says she was helping Williams with an authorized police investigation of pornography on the Internet, said she talked with both officers through chat programs on the computer.

Sacks also has said that the criminal investigation arose from an official and authorized investigation in which Williams was trying to ``ferret out some real criminals.'' KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE POLICE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY INVESTIGATION

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