A former Vernon E.M.T. is facing child pornography charges in an investigation that took nearly four years to complete due to delays at the state crime lab, according to court records.
Corey MacDonald, 28, of Windsor, who is accused of having 13 images of child pornography on his home computer, will be arraigned on Thursday at Hartford Superior Court.
West Hartford police arrested MacDonald on March 6, but the arrest could have come years ago.
West Hartford police originally arrested MacDonald in April 2009 on voyeurism charges. In that case, his roommate found a hidden camera in her bedroom at the apartment they shared on Maplewood Avenue, police said.
MacDonald worked at AMR Ambulance at West Hartford at the time.
He admitted hiding the camera and also admitted having child porn on his home computer, according to police.
"A computer was seized and a search warrant executed on that computer," Lt. Frank Fallon, of the West Hartford Police Department, said.
Police sent two computers to the state crime lab to be searched for images of the voyeurism victim and images of child pornography, but that didn't happen.
MacDonald pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless endangerment in Hartford Superior Court in August 2009, records show. The deal allowed him to continue working as an Emergency Medical Technician.
In July 2012, the state crime lab sent the computers back to West Hartford police without examining them for child porn, according to police.
One week later, police obtained a new search warrant and sent the computers back to the lab.
"In this particular case, we still wanted information off that computer," said Lt. Fallon.
A lab report detailing the child porn finally came back to police on March 1, according to court records.
MacDonald was arrested for possessing child pornography days later.
At the time of his latest arrest, he worked as an EMT in Vernon. The city now says he's no longer employed there.
A spokesman for the state crime lab said the computers were sent back after the original case was closed because they were unaware police were still investigating.
The victim from the original case disagrees.
By phone, she said, "I hope justice is done. It's been a long time and it's upsetting that the crime lab dropped the ball on something so serious. I've been waiting for justice and I'm sickened that he can still be around patients. It's very upsetting to be going through it all again. I just want there to be justice."
MacDonald did not return a call for comment.
He is due in court on the child pornography charge on Thursday.
Photo Credit: West Hartford Police