Former Port Wentworth planning commission chairman arraigned on child pornography charges
Clifford James Neesmith, 69, former Port Wentworth planning commission chairman, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Garden City Municipal Court on child pornography charges.
The former city official was arrested by the Garden City Police Department (GCPD) for possession of child pornography at the Families First Funeral Care & Cremation Center on Sept. 12. He worked at the funeral home for about nine years and was formerly their funeral director before retiring.
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During the seven-minute arraignment hearing, Neesmith appeared onscreen from within the county jail. Judge Ray Smith, determining that Neesmith would not be a flight risk and doesn’t pose an immediate danger to the community, set bond at $25,000. His case will be bound over to Chatham County Superior Court, where a grand jury will determine whether to indict him. A hearing date has not been set yet.
Neesmith will be released on bond only if he surrenders his computer and other electronic devices with internet capabilities, according to the bond's stipulations. The court will also allow Neesmith to keep his cellphone as long as it does not connect to the internet.
Judge Smith, who is also an attorney in Bryan County, required that all internet service at the defendant’s residence is cut off within a day of his release and that he have no contact with anyone under the age of 21 if released.
Three weeks before Neesmith’s arrest, GCPD collected a laptop from the Family First funeral home said to “contain pornographic material of prepubescent children." According to that same police report, the incident has been going on for at least six years.
Garden City Detective Roberto Rodriguez uncovered “thousands of items spanning over a timeframe of about 50 years,” according to Garden City Solicitor Lindy Moody. Some of the material included children as young as the age of seven.
According to police records, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist. The state agency is actively investigating the case.
Neesmith has no prior warrants in Chatham County and no previous related charges, according to Moody.
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Neesmith is a native to the Savannah area and was living alone at his Port Wentworth home. He is also a caretaker to his sister, according to Garden City PublicDefender Ty Wilson.
The recent retiree previously served as chairman for the Port Wentworth Chamber of Commerce and was chairman of the planning commission up until his arrest. The council voted to remove Neesmith from the chairman’s post during their Sept. 13 council meeting.
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Former Port Wentworth planning member arraigned for child pornography
