A Dallas police officer has agreed to plead guilty to possession of child pornography and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Sr. Cpl. Daniel Lee Collins signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors earlier this week admitting he possessed “sadistic or masochistic” sexually-explicit pictures of children and knowingly sent them to others over the internet.
In addition to the prison sentence, Collins could be fined up to $250,000.
Collins attorney Scott H. Palmer responded saying "Daniel Collins is not interested in a protracted fight. Instead, Mr. Collins is pleading guilty to a single count of possession as opposed to the more serious charges of transportation, receipt, or distribution."
Collins, 35, was placed on leave after his arrest last month by Homeland Security Investigations agents.
Prosecutors said he used a city computer to upload sexually-explicit images of children.
Collins joined the Dallas police department in July 2007 and was assigned to work on auto thefts.
