Former Oak Ridge North police officer arrested on child pornography charges

OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas (KTRK) -- An Oak Ridge North police officer has been fired from his position after his arrest on charges of child pornography.

Patrick James Hosford, 25, was arrested as part of an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation, according to a statement from the mayor of Oak Ridge North. Hosford is accused of possessing multiple videos depicting child sexual assault.

Hosford was hired in July 2023 by the Conroe Police Department and attended its police academy. According to Conroe PD, Hosford went through the Conroe PD field training program after graduating from the academy but did not meet department standards.

Hosford resigned in July 2024 but was not under investigation while employed with the Conroe Police Department.

"He had no criminal history, he had no negative references from the background check. We hired him, and he came on board on Oct. 30, 2024," Oak Ridge North Police Chief Tom Libby said.

The Oak Ridge North Police Department is conducting an internal review of its computer systems to determine if any city systems were used to transmit or receive illegal material.

"We checked any computers that he had access to (and) we reviewed his emails that he may have sent or received," Chief Libby said. "It puts a negative light on all of us in law enforcement."

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