The mayor of an upstate New York town resigned after he was arrested on child pornography charges.
Rick Nelson, 62, was arrested and charged with one felony count of promoting a sexual performance by a child and one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child after authorities searched his house last Thursday, NBC News reported.
Nelson, who served as the Village of Stillwater mayor, was busted after state troopers with the Computer Crimes Unit became aware of an IP address in the small town that downloaded child pornography images.
Nelson was arraigned in the Town of Saratoga Court and was remanded on a $50,000 bond.
The married father-of-one was released after posting $25,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Rick Nelson (left in booking photo and right), 62, was arrested and charged with one felony count of promoting a sexual performance by a child and one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child. He was arrested after authorities searched his house last Thursday
Nelson (above), who served as the Village of Stillwater mayor, was arraigned in the Town of Saratoga Court and was remanded on a $50,000 bond. The married father-of-one was released after posting $25,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Nelson officially resigned from his post on Friday and has been replaced by Deputy Mayor Frank Tatum.
After he was arrested, the village issued a statement saying it would ‘continue to move forward…despite the surprising arrest’.
‘This has been an incredibly difficult day for the Village of Stillwater and we’re certainly going to be facing some challenging times ahead,’ said Tatum as part of the statement.
‘But we are a very dedicated group and I am confident that we will get past this.
‘In the meantime, we have an important job to do and the village and its residents are still our No. 1 priority.’
Nelson (above center) officially resigned from his post on Friday and has been replaced by Deputy Mayor Frank Tatum
When Nelson was elected in April 2015, he replaced the longest running leader in village history.
At the time of his election, he had promised to ‘walk a path of rebirth and new beginnings.’
On his mayoral campaign Facebook page, Nelson wrote: ‘Stillwater has been my home for my entire life. I learned the values of community, family, and respect from my parents: Barney Nelson and Lenetta Aldrich Nelson.
‘I want to see our village thrive and I am committed to working to build a better future through working with our neighbors and attracting new business developments.
When Nelson (above) was elected in April 2015, he replaced the longest running leader in village history. At the time of his election, he had promised to ‘walk a path of rebirth and new beginnings.’
His son, Patrick Nelson (above), is currently running for congress in New York’s 21st Congressional District
‘We have great people in this community and I take pride not only in our history, but also our future.’
According to the town’s website, Nelson served as a deacon and officer in the Stillwater United Church.
His son, Patrick Nelson, is currently running for congress in New York’s 21st Congressional District.
The village board was set to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
The Village of Stillwater is located roughly 25 miles north of Albany in Saratoga County.