UPDATE: Pediatric Doctor Accused of Possessing Child Porn Resigns & License is Suspended

Friday update:

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) _ A pediatric doctor at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston who faces charges of receipt and possession of child pornography has resigned and the state medical board has suspended his license to practice.

Houston media outlets report 49-year-old Dr. Dennis Patrick Hughes announced his resignation in a statement Thursday. Shortly after, the Texas Medical Board said a disciplinary panel temporarily suspended Hughes’ license, after determining “his continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to the public welfare.”

The FBI on raided the physician’s home in Pearland last Friday as part of an international investigation. Court documents indicate agents recovered thousands of child porn images from the doctor’s personal computer devices.

Hughes, who faces up to 20 years in prison, was freed on $50,000 bond Wednesday. His attorney says he will plead not guilty.

Original story:

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) _ A pediatric doctor at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has been freed on bond as he faces charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.

Dr. Dennis Patrick Hughes was freed on $50,000 bond Wednesday night following a detention hearing in Galveston.

The FBI on Friday raided the 49-year-old physician’s home in Pearland as part of an international investigation. Court documents indicate agents recovered thousands of child porn images from the doctor’s personal computer devices.

His attorney says Hughes will plead not guilty.

Hughes, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison for possession of child pornography. The receipt of child porn charge carries a penalty of up to five years.

The doctor has been put on paid leave by M.D. Anderson.

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