Arrest made in child porn case

A tip from an online service company has led to charges of possession and distribution of child pornography against a volunteer Los Angeles Boy Scout district commissioner.

Gerald Frederick Curland, 63, of Valley Village is scheduled to be arraigned today in Los Angeles County Superior Court on the separate felony charges, according to the district attorney’s office.

Curland was arrested Tuesday by sheriff’s Special Victims Unit investigators. Bail was set at $40,000, said prosecutor Marc Beaart of the district attorney’s High Tech Crimes Division.

Authorities said their investigation began last year after American Online Services notified them that it had “captured one image of child pornography in an e-mail attachment” allegedly sent by Curland.

Computerized evidence seized at Curland’s home is being examined by investigators, authorities said. Beaart said Curland is a freelance marketing consultant and volunteer Boy Scout commissioner.

-- Bob Pool