United States

Routine Traffic Stop Leads to Child Porn Conviction

A routine traffic stop in Midlothian ended with the arrest of an Arlington man, later convicted of possessing child pornography.

Midlothian Police Department Officer Matt McCaskill pulled over 33-year-old Steven Lass, of Arlington, in August 2014. When the officer checked Lass' records, he learned Lass is a registered sex offender convicted of an offense against an 8-year-old girl.

McCaskill then noticed that Lass’ front passenger seat was missing. Several tools and electronic devices were found where the seat would be have been, according to U.S. Attorney John R. Parker.

Lass consented to a search of his vehicle, according to Parker. Investigators found two iPods and a thumb drive with more than 2,000 images of child pornography on them.

After pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in April, Lass was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

"I'm glad we caught him that day," McCaskill said. "Hopefully it helps other cases."

McCaskill also said he learned a valuable lesson that day.

"You can encounter anything on a traffic stop," he said. "Whether it was luck, or a good eye, I'm glad to see him off the street."

McCaskill's supervisor told NBC 5 that this kind of case is almost always made online.

NBC 5's Ben Russell contributed to this report.

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