Pitkin County officials said Friday that they will wait until the criminal case against an Aspen airport employee charged with distributing child pornography is complete before deciding on the fate of his job.

Casey Curtis Williams, 26, was advised Dec. 18 that he is charged with sexual exploitation of a child (distribution), a class III felony, and sexual exploitation of a child (possession), a class IV felony.

Williams is continuing to work at his job as an operations officer, said Stephen Pingree, senior human resources generalist with the county’s human resources and risk management department.

The county is taking a wait-and-see approach to Williams’ employment, he said.

Assistant County Manager Phylis Mattice said personnel issues are handled on a case-by-case basis.

“We will be following the case,” she said.

Williams’ job involves responding to airplane accidents, inspecting the grounds to ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations, and enforcing safety rules, among other duties.

He does not work around children, airport director Jim Elwood said Thursday.

Williams, reached at work Friday, declined comment on the allegations, saying it “was not the appropriate time.” He said he has not yet hired an attorney.

Detectives with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Williams, who lives in unincorporated Pitkin County, on June 28. An Internet protocol address that was broadcasting child pornography was allegedly linked to Williams’ computer.

Detective Kyle Hall tracked the IP address to Comcast Cable Communications Inc., which provided records showing the address was linked to Williams, the arrest warrant says. Williams’ physical address is redacted in the warrant.

Hall and fellow Eagle County detective Brian Hollenbaugh carried out a search warrant on Williams’ home on July 19 and seized his laptop computer.

Pitkin County sheriff’s deputy Renee Rayton accompanied the detectives when the search warrant was executed, as is customary when an investigation crosses jurisdictions, said investigator Brad Gibson of the local sheriff’s office.

“We had good communication” between the two offices, Gibson said.

The Eagle County detectives alerted Pitkin authorities about their investigation and offered to let the local office take it over, he said. But Eagle County detectives had already done so much on the case that it made more sense for them to keep it, Gibson said.

The seized laptop was sent to the Rocky Mountain Regional Forensic Laboratory for analysis. Williams was arrested after the analysis allegedly found 35 videos and photos of child pornography.

He is free on a $15,000 bond and is next due in Eagle County District Court on Jan. 15.

chad@aspendailynews.com [1]