Airport employee accused of downloading child porn at work

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jill Bryce

A Colonie man has been accused of using a computer owned by the Albany International Airport to access Internet sites with child pornography while he was working at the airport.

John A. Ford, 53, of 18 Massachusetts Ave., was charged Thursday with possessing images of children engaged in sexual performances. He was sent to the Albany County Jail without bail.

The computer was located in the pilot’s lounge at Million Air, where Ford has been employed for 21 years as a lineman who fuels planes.

The investigation began after a Albany County Sheriff’s Department sergeant assigned to the airport station was doing a security check at Million Air, saw Ford at the computer and noticed he quickly closed several images of what appeared to be young children. The sergeant confronted Ford, who was unaware the sergeant saw the images.

The sheriff’s office’s Criminal Investigation Unit began an investigation with cooperation from the Albany Airport Authority. The computer was confiscated and a search revealed numerous photos of children engaged in sexual conduct. The images came from Internet sites outside the United States, including Russia, according to the sheriff’s office.