'It doesn't leave a good feeling with you': Houston police officer faces child pornography charges

A six-year veteran of the Houston Police Department (HPD) has been relieved of duty following his arrest last night (March 15) for alleged possession of child pornography. 

Twenty-nine-year-old Justin Weber faces five criminal counts, and a judge gave him a $100,000 bond after his overnight appearance before the 248th State District Court, Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported.

An HPD-issued statement said Weber, who joined the force in December 2016, was the focal point of a two-month investigation.

"The Houston Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit (ICAC) received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on Jan. 7 regarding allegations of possession of child pornography," the statement, which the department disseminated on social media, said. "Investigators assigned to ICAC immediately opened an investigation into those allegations."

HPD added that its Internal Affairs Division (IAD) is heading an administrative investigation.

KTRK reported that Weber, who was a member of HPD's Air Support Division, incurred $20,000 for each of the five counts.

Investigators executed a search warrant last week at the former officer's residence in Spring although the ICAC initiated its investigation on Jan. 17, according to the station.

Weber admitted to the court that he uploaded and shared pictures of girls between the ages of eight and 13 years old, to which Yahoo and Snapchat flagged as inappropriate.

A neighbor of Weber's initially felt great about having an officer for a neighbor but is dismayed by the allegations.

"Actually, we were kind of excited to have HPD officers on the block. Feel a little more secure," Stefan Ehrhardt told KTRK. "What happened today, there's a school across the street, it doesn't leave a good feeling with you."

HPD said it will not comment further on the case.

The court ordered Weber to not have contact with children under 17 and stay 1,000 feet away from schools and daycares as a condition of his bond.

He's also prevented from using the internet.