Longview school board member pleads not guilty to child porn charges

LONGVIEW, Wash. — A former school board member in southwest Washington has pleaded not guilty to possessing child pornography.

The Columbian reports 46-year-old Richard Gregory Lord Jr. was arraigned Tuesday in Cowlitz County.

The former Longview School Board member is charged with first- and second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Lord was arrested last month in Nevada on suspicion that he had obtained several lewd photos of a teenage girl.

Authorities say he had taken the teen to a state school board directors conference in November 2017 and stayed with her in a hotel room.

The teen told authorities that Lord had likely taken the photographs off her cellphone.

Lord posted $100,000 bail. His trial is scheduled for April.