Ellis patron arrested Monday

Patron suspected of viewing illicit material.

By Andrew Denney

Published June 4, 2008

The MU Police Department responded to a call Monday morning at Ellis Library that a patron was looking at pornographic material on a computer located on the first floor information commons.

William R. Bender was arrested on suspicion of public display of explicit sexual material. MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said police took the computer the suspect used for further investigation.

Weimer said police responded to a call made by Ellis Library security that a patron was viewing inappropriate material on one of the library’s computers. He said Bender was still using the computer when police arrived, and the arrest was conducted without incident.

Ellis Library spokeswoman Shannon Cary said it is not prohibited for library patrons to look at legal, adult pornography, unless other library patrons complain, or if the material is considered illegal. She said there were concerns expressed by information technologies staff that the suspect had been viewing child pornography on the computer.

Cary said she doesn’t remember a situation similar to this occurring at the library.

Library patrons who are not students are allowed to use the library’s computers through a guest access system that gives patrons a two-hour time limit. Cary said the suspect had run over his time limit, which caused information technologies staff to approach the patron.

Bender was taken to Boone County Jail after the arrest. He is a resident of Reality House, which is a facility in Columbia that provides services to assist former prison inmates seeking to re-enter society.