On Wednesday, the US Postal Inspection Service arrested Senator Lamar Alexander’s Chief of Staff Ryan Loskarn on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography charges.   He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

No doubt, he’s looking for a very good criminal defense attorney today.

The knock came about 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday when agents of the US Postal Inspection Service began banging on the door of Loskarn’s  Southeast Washington, D.C. condo.  The US Postal Inspection Service investigates crimes that are alleged to have occurred by the use of the US Postal system.  This includes crimes like using the mail for a fraudulent scheme, including Ponzi schemes, and sending or receiving child pornography though the mail.  Apparently sending or receiving child porn is the allegation against Mr. Loskarn.

As one would expect, Senator Alexander’s office cooperated with authorities and allowed them to search Mr. Loskarn’s office and his computer.  The agents were at Loskarn’s home for over 5 hours presumably collecting what they perceived as evidence in the case.  They removed a computer and other items from the home.

It is expected that Mr. Loskarn will appear in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. for arraignment on Thursday.  The arraignment is the proceeding where a defendant is formally notified of the charges made against him.  Sometimes a release bond is set at that hearing and sometimes there is a separate hearing on the issue of bond.

These charges would certainly be charges that would allow Mr. Loskarn to be released from jail pending a trial.  Often a defendant, as a condition of bond, must release his passport and agree not to leave the United States.

Once he is released he will secured an experience criminal defense attorney.  The press will lose interest in the story until there is a hearing of some sort.  His defense attorney will begin the process of looking at the facts and the law applicable to those facts in order to make a determination as to how best to protect Mr. Loskarn’s rights.  As is always the case, the government will have the burden of proving the facts upon which it relies beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury.  This will no doubt be a long process.

I don’t know whether Mr. Loskarn will be convicted or cleared of these charges.  What I do know is that our judicial system gives him a presumption of innocence that the general public will not likely give him.  Just remember that arrested doesn’t mean guilty.

Senator Alexander’s office was quick to release an announcement noting Sen. Alexander’s disappointment and the replacement of Mr. Loskarn with David Cleary who has served as Alexander’s legislative director since 2011.  Senator Alexander, who was first elected in 2002, is facing a primary challenge against former Tennessee Representative Joe Carr.

UPDATE:  The prosecutors allege that Mr. Loakarn is a flight risk and a danger to the community due to the fact that a number of the video he is alleged to have purchased and had in his possession at the time of arrest contain images of violent sex involving children.