Posted on: Friday, December 7, 2001
Tripler pediatric intern investigated in child porn case
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
A Tripler Medical Center pediatric intern is under investigation by the FBI and Army for allegedly possessing computer child pornography, but a Tripler spokeswoman yesterday said she does not believe he did anything illegal at the hospital.
Tripler spokeswoman Margaret Tippy said interns are supervised by trained staff and she strongly doubted anything illegal occurred with hospital patients.
"To my knowledge, the alleged offense has nothing to do with Tripler," Tippy said. "Nothing occurred within Tripler Army Medical Center."
FBI spokeswoman Pam McCullough said that the case involves "allegations of child pornography" and that it is being investigated by the FBI and the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
She said the case was initially investigated by the Honolulu Police Department under the umbrella of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes HPD, FBI, U.S. Customs, the state attorney general's office, other county police departments and military law enforcement agencies.
The intern began working at the hospital in late June and the investigation started in late July, Tippy said. The intern has been removed from patient care and placed in a nonclinical setting until the investigation is completed, Tippy said.
"Our major concern is to make sure there is not any undue anxiety," Tippy said. "If people have specific concerns with their child or if their child was seen in this past July time frame, please don't hesitate to call the pediatric patient assist line."
Tippy said parents may call Tripler's pediatric patient assist line at 433-2251. Tippy said the pediatric department sees approximately 200 patients ranging from infants to adolescents daily. Tippy said the intern worked with patients but he was supervised by staff members.
Reach Brandon Masuoka at 525-8090 or bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com.
