Onassis half brother accused of having child porn

AP ^ | Aug 26, 3:19 AM EDT | JEFF BARNARD and WILLIAM McCALL

[Pro-Bush]

Onassis half brother accused of having child porn

By JEFF BARNARD and WILLIAM McCALL Associated Press Writers AP Photo AP Photo/Jeff Barnard Advertisement Buy AP Photo Reprints

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ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Jamie Auchincloss is well known and well liked in this storybook town for his longtime support of local theater, his videos of Democratic political events, and being the half brother to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

So when authorities announced Tuesday that Auchincloss had been indicted on charges of encouraging child sexual abuse by possessing, duplicating and disseminating child pornography, friends and neighbors rose to defend him.

"I don't think Jamie's a danger to the community," said Amy Welden, a stay-at-home mom who lives in the same quiet cul-de-sac as Auchincloss's landscaped craftsman-style bungalow, said Tuesday after a Jackson County grand jury in Medford indicted him on 25 felony counts.

"We have a child that Jamie's never shown the slightest interest in," she said.

But Eddy McManus, the 44-year-old former personal assistant whose allegations led to the long and highly visible probe, said he felt vindicated by the indictments.

"It's been years of warning him, really," McManus said.

In October, police searched Auchincloss's home and found a large number of graphic images of young boys, according to court documents. When the information was printed in local newspapers, friends like Ragan Cavanaugh and her husband, Gerry, wrote letters supporting Auchincloss.

[HogsBreath]

After moving to Ashland, he traveled frequently, friends and neighbors said.

Cough, (sex tourism), cough...