An Alabama senior State Trooper was allowed to resign from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) two-and-a-half weeks after being indicted for possession of obscene material of a person under the age of 17.
1819 News reported Wednesday that former Alabama State Trooper Chad McKenzie Claybrook, 45, was arrested earlier this month and charged with possession of pornographic material of a person under the age of 17.
SEE: State trooper arrested, charged with possessing obscene material of person under 17
Claybrook's arrest warrant was sworn on February 12, but he was not arrested and booked into the Talladega County Jail until March 10. 1819 News initially tried to ascertain Claybrook's current employment status on Tuesday but didn't receive a response until Wednesday afternoon.
In a release, ALEA stated that Claybrook retired on March 1, over two weeks since his arrest was ordered and 10 days before he was booked into jail.
"On Saturday, March 1, 2025, former Senior Trooper Chad Claybook, who was assigned to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division, retired from the Agency," the ALEA statement read. "ALEA's State Bureau of Investigation's (SBI) Digital Forensic Unit assisted in a criminal investigation regarding ALEA Sr. Trooper Chad Claybrook. However, any additional information regarding the investigation should be directed to the Talladega County District Attorney's Office."
An ALEA spokesperson could not detail the reason for the time gap, directing further questions to the DA's office. It's unclear how long Claybrook's tenure was with ALEA and what benefits he retired with.
Records say Claybrook was booked in the Talladega County Jail on March 10 and released on a $7,500 bond the following day.
Possession of pornography without the intent to distribute is a Class C felony. According to Alabama code section 13A-12-192, the provision Claybrook is charged under, a Class C felony carries a potential sentence of 1-10 years in prison and a possible $15,000 fine. However, the code states, "Any transfer of the visual depiction from any electronic device to any other device, program, application, or any other place with storage capability which can be made available or is accessible by other users, is prima facie evidence of possession with intent to disseminate."
With the intent to disseminate, the crime becomes a Class B felony, punishable by 2-20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
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