BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WPMI) The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office is asking for your help in looking for a registered sex offender. John David Smith was supposed to appear for a sentencing hearing on a possession of child porn conviction. Authorities say Smith cut off his ankle bracelet prior to the scheduled hearing.
"Apparently it's not that hard to do. There have been two possibly three of these within our agency in the last few months that have happened so," said Captain Steve Arthur with the sheriff's office.
The ankle bracelet is good for tracking with a GPS and a good way to ease prison overcrowding but... "We had one a couple of months back and we were able to apprehend that individual the very next day through tips from the community," said Arthur.
Smith, who was due to be sentenced Wednesday, has instead taken off in a 1993 red Nissan Sentra.
"He cut it off or had someone assist him in cutting that monitor off his ankle, and he has left the scene. We are in the process of looking for him," said Arthur.
Smith's criminal history centers around the possession and production of child porn.
"He's not just an individual with a fetish for underage children, he also produces these materials so obviously he need to be apprehended as quickly as possible," said Arthur.
In addition to his sentence for child porn, Smith faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of escaping.
