Former tanning salon owner indicted on child pornography charges

SPRINGFIELD — A federal grand jury has indicted a former tanning salon owner on eight child pornography charges for allegedly videotaping underage female customers with a hidden camera, the U.S. attorney for the western district of Missouri said today.

The grand jury confirmed an initial complaint filed in December by federal prosecutors against Brett Patrick Kent, 35, and added one count of possessing child porn.

Kent, who also faces state charges and lawsuits from former customers, is in federal detention after fleeing the area and being arrested last month in Phoenix. He faces a detention hearing Monday in federal court in Springfield, and prosecutors have asked the court to keep him in jail until trial.

U.S. Attorney John Wood said the grand jury returned six counts of producing child pornography. Each count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.

Kent also was indicted on two counts of possessing child pornography, with a maximum term of 10 years per count.

Kent was arrested in December 2005 after an employee told police she found images on the business computer of women undressing at 360 Degree Tan.