Radford University Professor Denied Bond in Child Pornography and Drug Possession Charges
ByDr. Taj Mahon-Haft, a Radford University assistant professor, was denied bond April 4 on charges of child pornography and possession of drugs. The professor was arrested thrice in March
Mahon-Haft, 34, is currently being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail.
Due to the felony charges, he has been suspended from the university without loss of pay.
Police officials allege that while serving the warrant at his house, Mahon-Haft resisted arrest. Therefore, he is also charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of justice and assault on a police officer.
Last December, while responding to a burglary call by his neighbor, the Radford police discovered green leafy plant-like material, a multicoloured smoking device, a mirror, a rolled up dollar bill, a razor and a white powdery substance in a line, "as in preparation for consumption.
He faces three counts of possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance and one count of possession of marijuana.
Mahon-Haft is charged for possessing Pentedrone, Alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (alpha-PVP), 4-Fluoroamphetamine (4-FA) and marijuana.
The police officials seized computers from Mahon-Haft's home to gather evidence on the drug charges when they accidentally found images of child pornography.
Mahon-Haft was arrested March 21 and charged with 24 counts of child pornography. However, he was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. H e was arrested for a third time on March 28 when the Radford Police collected evidence from a laptop belonging to Radford University and found more child pornography images.
Mahon-Haft, who joined the faculty staff in 2011, teaches three criminal justice courses at the university in addition to teaching a 'War on Drugs' seminar.