Federal Judge Denies Bond For Pediatrician Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

A Marshall County pediatrician appeared before a judge Wednesday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Huntsville. Dr. Michael Roy Sharpe, 63, turned himself in Tuesday. This appearance was for a federal charge of possession of child pornography.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Harwell Davis denied bond for Sharpe, and ordered that he remain in custody at a facility in Morgan County. Sharpe pleaded not guilty to the federal child pornography charges.


Sharpe's lawyer, Robert Tuten, says his client called the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners to report that his phone had five or six pornographic images on it. Tuten claims his client did not take the pictures, but the girl in the pictures took them of herself.

The Board of Medical Examiners assigned an investigator to the case. The investigator burned the images to a disk and returned Dr. Sharpe's phone to him.

The board instructed Dr. Sharpe to turn the phone in to law enforcement. He did, but the pictures had been removed.

Tuten said Dr. Sharpe was seeking counseling when he reported the phone images to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Sharpe surrendered his medical license on March 9, 2009.

Last week, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment on Sharpe, of Albertville. The indictment alleges Sharpe had a cellular phone that contained pornographic images of children. The maximum sentence for possession of child pornography is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"This office has vigorously prosecuted doctors, nurses, military personnel, law enforcement officers, ministers, professional photographers, teachers and numerous other individuals for sexually exploiting children, and will continue to prosecute these cases regardless of a defendant's occupation or status in the community," said U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell, who is prosecuting this case.

Dr. Sharpe also faces charges of rape, sodomy and possession of child pornography in Marshall County, stemming from his arrest in February 2009. A spokesperson for the Marshall County Sheriff's Department said the incident involved a 15-year-old girl who was a patient, and reportedly happened over a two-year period. A Marshall County grand jury has indicted Sharpe on the charges. Sharpe underwent a mental evaluation, and was determined fit to stand trial. No trial date has been set for the charges in Marshall County.