Former city worker sentenced on child porn charges

NORWALK — A Norwalk man is asking for forgiveness as he was sentenced to up to six years in prison Wednesday on child pornography charges. Judge Tom Pokorny, a visiting judge who is a retired judge from Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, sentenced David Allen Smith, 63, to four years and 11 months to six years in prison. Smith was arrested Jan. 26, 2022, after deputies of the Huron County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at his Southgate Drive home. Huron County Sheriff Todd Corbin said that the warrant was obtained after a tip was sent to the Norwalk Police Department. Subsequently, Smith was investigated by the Ohio Division of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) out of Cleveland, which is a federally funded anti-crime initiative tasked with identifying, apprehending and prosecuting individuals using the internet either to lure minors into illicit sexual relationships or to procure, distribute, or solicit child pornography. Corbin said the investigation was handed over to his office to avoid any conflict of interest because Smith worked for the city of Norwalk. Norwalk Mayor Dave Light said that Smith had worked in the city's wastewater treatment plant for over 25 years, but self-terminated his employment just a few days after he was arrested. Smith, in a screenshot shared with The Reflector, posted a message on his Facebook page. "Dear family and friends, as some of you know, 2022 was a trying year," he wrote. "My actions caused a lot of pain to the people I love most. I can never take back what I did, only pray for forgiveness."