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News Channel 5 A NewsChannel5 investigation uncovered repeated access to online pornography inside the Cuyahoga County Justice Center.
NewsChannel5's Ron Regan reported that computer discs revealed a trail of pornographic Web sites over at least two months.
The Web sites are graphic and include access to live pornography on the Internet, X-rated dating services and a host of pornographic links.
An analysis of computer records showed that the pornographic sites were visited on a computer terminal inside a county courtroom with restricted access.
The records show bailiff Thomas Kilbane was logged onto the computer while the sites were visited throughout September and October.
Kilbane operates computers outside of Judge Nancy McDonnell's chambers and inside the courtroom, but he denies ever searching for sex on the Internet.
"I put my password in the first thing in the morning --come, go, leave, go to lunch, come back -- never dawning on me that somebody would sit there," said Kilbane. "But it's in the public area and I think I just need to shut my computer off more often when I'm not sitting there."
Kilbane has worked for McDonnell for eight years and she promised to find out how pornography showed up in her courtroom.
"Obviously, that's inappropriate," said McDonnell. "It's against policies of the court. Unfortunately, our court has not had the opportunity to investigate fully – but they are."
Because the computers lacked the proper filtering software, computer porn was easily accessible for any county worker. But officials promise that will now be changed.
"Let me just say we take this issue seriously, it's a waste of productivity, of tax dollars, and county resources are being wasted," said Dennis Madden, the acting county administrator.
"We will look at circumstances directly under the supervision of the board of commissioners. We will look at the sites that are visited and we will make a determination if abuse is taking place."
The county's Internet services department says it should have blocking software in place by the first of the year.
An internal investigation is under way to trace how pornography got onto a bailiff's computer in a secure courtroom.
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