Longtime local civic leader Robert Charles Smiley was arrested Thursday by Newberg-Dundee Police on child pornography charges.
Smiley, 54, of 756 N.E. Eighth St., McMinnville, was taken into custody Thursday morning at his Dundee business, Wine Country Woodcraft, 1010 S.E. Maple St., according to Sgt. Tim Weaver.
He was booked at the Yamhill County Jail on 10 counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, a Class C felony. Bail was set at $50,000, and he posted the 10 percent required to secure his pretrial release.
Smiley chairs the Yamhill County Planning Commission. He has been active in the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce, McMinnville Lions Club and other civic and charitable organizations.
He has run for city council and assisted with school bond campaign efforts. Along the way, he has been honored for his long record of community service.
Smiley, who is married, is accused of downloading, storing and viewing child pornography on computers at both his McMinnville home and Dundee business. The underlying investigation focused on a period during the summer and fall.
He has no previous criminal history in Yamhill County, according to the Oregon Judicial Information Network. His release conditions bar him from leaving the state while the case remains pending, according to Pretrial Release Officer Jim VanArsdel.
Smiley was represented at his Friday arraignment in Yamhill County Circuit Court by McMinnville attorney Brent Goodfellow. Goodfellow told Judge Ronald Stone that he had gone over the indictment with his client.
Weaver said the investigation was initiated by McMinnville police. He said they handed the case off after determining the main focus would be on Smiley’s Dundee business rather than his McMinnville home.
Detectives worked the case for several months before deciding to file charges, Weaver said.
Oregon Revised Statute 163.686 defines the charge this way:
“Unlawfully and knowingly possessing or controlling a photograph, motion picture, videotape or other visual recording of sexually explicit conduct involving a child for the purpose of arousing or satisfying the sexual desires of the defendant or another person.”
Weaver said, “What we have here is Internet porn. It appears there are no family members or local victims involved. That’s one of the big scares you get in a case like this.”
Appointments to the county planning commission are made by the board of commissioners. Smiley’s current four-year term is slated to expire on June 30, 2011.
He was first appointed in 2005 to serve the remainder of Dean Brown’s term after Brown resigned. Last year, he was appointed to a full term in his own right.
Planning Director Mike Brandt said the commissioners have the authority to revoke appointments if they wish.
Smiley, a 25-year resident of McMinnville, has served previously on the McMinnville Planning Commission. He has twice mounted losing bids for the McMinnville City Council’s Ward 3 seat, losing to Mary Massay in 1994 and Sandy Rabe in 1998.
He is a past president of the Lions Club and current member of the chamber’s board of directors. He has helped lead the drive to turn Kiwanis Marine Park into the city’s first off-leash dog park.
He is a past winner of the Chamber’s Excellence in Volunteerism Award, honoring help he provided with the Turkey Rama barbecue, Mayor’s Ball and Government Affairs Council.
Smiley has recently turned his attention to woodworking, founding Wine Country Woodcraft in Dundee as his commercial outlet.
He is next due in court at 3 p.m. Monday, April 14, for a pretrial conference.
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