A Washington, D.C., pediatrician widely respected for treating children in the city's poorest neighborhoods for decades was arrested Wednesday and charged with downloading child pornography, according to federal court documents.

The man, Dr. Robert Paul Dickey, 73, was charged with two federal counts of receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors "engaging in sexually explicit conduct."

The doctor was even allegedly viewing a child porn site on his desktop computer when police and FBI agents showed up to search his home, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington.

The complaint, which NBC News isn't publishing because of its sexually explicit nature, said Dickey acknowledged "that he visits child pornography sites, downloads child pornography and stores it on an external hard drive."

For at least 44 years, Dickey was considered a pillar of the community, treating children in Washington's poor neighborhoods south of the Anacostia River. As long ago as 1973, he was recognized in a profile in The Washington Post for serving "as an old-fashioned small town doctor" for hundreds of impoverished children a week.

NBC Washington: D.C. pediatrician charged with possession of child pornography

Dickey was busted through a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children based on information provided by Microsoft Corp., the complaint said. It said that on April 3, an Outlook user uploaded approximately 14 pictures of child pornography from an account with the username "Robert Dickey."

Investigators traced the computer's IP address to Dickey's home in Southeast Washington, the complaint said. It said they found explicit images of prepubescent girls in sex acts with adults on the hard drive.

Dickey's grandsons, one of them 9 years old and the other an infant less than a year old, live with him in the same house, the complaint said. Their whereabouts weren't made public Wednesday.

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The Bismarck Tribune via AP

Snow-covered trees form a scenic canopy over Bismarck, N.D., on Monday, March 4, 2013, in the wake of a slow-moving winter storm that passed through the state.

A late-winter storm was expected to gum up travel Tuesday as it crept slowly across the Central and Midwest U.S. before heading east later in the week, forecasters said Monday.

The storm was expected to peter out by the time it hits New York and Boston later in the week, but not before it creates a mess for commuters from Upper Mississippi and Ohio River valleys eastward to the Atlantic Coast.

Significant snowfall will make travel dangerous Monday night and Tuesday in the Upper Midwest, especially around major cities like Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Chicago. The Weather Channel warned that major delays were likely Tuesday at O'Hare and Midway airports.

Chicago is expected to get its biggest snowfall of the season — as much as 10 inches by Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service said accumulation rates of one to two inches an hour beginning Tuesday morning would make "snow removal difficult and travel extremely dangerous."

"Consider only traveling if in an emergency," it said in issuing a winter storm warning for the city.

Unseasonably warm temperatures Monday melted some of the winter's snow in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul — just in time for a new blast of winter that could drop as much as 7 inches of new snow overnight and Tuesday.

"I'm tired of being ready for winter. I am ready for it be spring," Barbara Eckley of Minneapolis told NBC station KARE.

By Wednesday, significant accumulations were forecast for the Washington area. Major flight delays are possible at Washington-Dulles, Reagan National and possibly Baltimore-Washington International airports.

While the storm isn't yet expected to hit the Northeast hard — forecasters said they'd have a better picture later in the week — the travel delays could have a noticeable ripple effect Wednesday in Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

The system has meandered across the country since it formed off the West Coast last week. It was dropping heavy snow Monday on an area stretching from northeast Montana through parts of North Dakota and Minnesota and into eastern Iowa.

A foot of snow had already fallen in parts of eastern North Dakota by noon Monday, NBC station KVLY of Fargo reported. Snow-covered passing lanes and reduced visibility were expected to remain a problem into Tuesday.

At least 38 traffic accidents were reported in Black Hawk County in central Iowa by 6:30 a.m., NBC station KWWL of Waterloo reported. Six to 10 more inches are possible in the region by Tuesday morning.

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This story was originally published on Mon Mar 4, 2013 5:31 PM EST

Larry Downing / Reuters

Firefighters from D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department appeared with President Barack Obama during a press event on Tuesday.

D.C. Fire and EMS denied Friday night that three local firefighters are facing possible disciplinary action after appearing with President Obama during a press event.

Earlier this week the president was flanked by first responders as he spoke about the impact of sequestration. Kenneth Ellerbe, chief of D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department, told News4 the three members of DCFEMS who participated in the event may have violated department regulations.

“I didn’t know about it, the deputy mayor didn’t know about it, the mayor didn’t know about it," Ellerbe said. "There should be protocol followed anytime one of our employees representing the District of Columbia appears at a public event.”

The department released the following statement Friday night:

Contrary to reports in local media, the DC Fire and EMS Department is not considering any disciplinary action against uniformed personnel for appearing alongside President Obama. At the request of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, DC FEMS is simply reviewing its internal protocols for such appearances to ensure that both the Department and its employees are fully informed.

We fully support the efforts of President to highlight the essential and life saving work that our first-responders do every single day, and welcome his invitation for our members to participate. We're exceedingly proud of the men and women that wear the DC FEMS uniform, and thank the President for his support.

Ellerbe says the three firefighters have each been ordered to file a special report on the event detailing how they came to appear with the president and who authorized it.

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“How did they get there, why were they there and why didn’t we know about it before?” Ellerbe said.

Ed Smith, president of Local 36 of the firefighter’s union, said his office facilitated the appearance by the firefighters. “The request came through the International Association of Firefighters,” Smith said, adding that it’s not the first time D.C. firefighters have been asked to appear with the president.

But he said, it’s the first time it’s been an issue. “We’ve done this before. I would hope it doesn’t come to any discipline. They were supporting our president,” he said.

Also on NBCWashington.com: Gun control law advances in Maryland

Ellerbe would not identify the department members involved, but one of those pictured is Lt. Robert Alvarado, who has been disciplined in the past by Ellerbe. In 2012 Alvarado was placed on leave after he wore a uniform with an outdated logo.

Ellerbe says requiring Alvarado and the others to explain why they attended the event in their dress uniforms is not payback for any previous incidents.

“There’s no payback, we don’t operate in a payback environment. I know folks say that but it’s not true.” Ellerbe insisted.

Ellerbe says none of the firefighters is facing termination, but added one of those involved is a woman who is new to the department and still on a probationary period.

This story was originally published on Fri Feb 22, 2013 6:55 PM EST

A man who opened fire inside the headquarters of the conservative Family Research Council in Washington last year because of its opposition to same-sex marriage pleaded guilty Wednesday to committing an act of armed terrorism.

USMS

Floyd Lee Corkins

The man, Floyd Lee Corkins II, 28, of Herndon, Va., shot the council's unarmed security guard in the arm before he was subdued Aug. 15. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when he's sentenced April 29 on the three charges he admitted in the plea deal, which also included interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, a federal offense, and assault with intent to kill while armed, a local offense.

According to an FBI affidavit (.pdf), Corkins said, "I don't like your politics," as he opened fire. It also said he was carrying at least 50 additional rounds of ammunition in his backpack, along with 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches.

The incident came a few weeks after Dan Cathy, chief executive of the fast-food company, said he opposed same-sex marriage and in the wake of reports that the company's charitable foundation had made millions of dollars in donations to organizations fighting efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Family Research Council, an evangelical Christian activist group, came out strongly in support of Cathy's statements. Authorities said Corkins was a volunteer for a Washington organization lobbying for gay and lesbian rights.

Despite his injuries, the security guard, Leonardo Johnson, wrestled Corkins to the ground and gained control of the weapon while a second security guard called 911. Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier called Johnson, who recovered, a hero, saying: "He did his job. The person never made it past farther than the front door."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, blamed the shooting on civil rights organizations "that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy." But a coalition of organizations promoting gay, lesbian and transgender rights joined other conservative activists in condemning the attack.

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Public high school students in the nation’s capital may soon be able to graduate without taking a single U.S. government course.

The D.C. State Board of Education proposed changes to the graduation requirements in December that would require students to take more physical education, art and music courses instead.  

The proposal, put forward to combat declining graduation rates in the District, where fewer than two-thirds of high school students earn a diploma, would also require students to write a thesis and raise the total number of required credits in D.C. public schools from 24 to 26 -- more than students need to earn diplomas in many other states, according to the National Center for Graduation Statistics. 

Some of the new requirements -- specifically nixing the need for a government course -- have drawn the ire of advocates for civics education.

Patrick Mara, who represents Ward 1 on the school board, believes a majority of the nine-member board won't back the proposal. 

"This is one of those things that looks great on paper, and it's very well-intentioned, but it goes without saying that U.S. government should be a requirement in the District of Columbia," Mara said. 

Mara said he would "certainly vote against" the proposal if it came to a vote anytime soon.

Other key changes to students' current graduation requirements in the proposal include making students take an additional unit of physical education, which can include organized extracurricular sports. Students would also have to do an additional 67.5 hours of physical activity each semester for all four years of high school.

In a letter to the board, an eight-person group representing several public schools in D.C. said it objected to the proposal for several reasons, including the physical activity requirement, saying it would be susceptible to fraudulent submissions for credit.

"We agree that students should be engaged in physical activity at all points of education, but the benefits of making it a graduation requirement do not outweigh the costs," the letter said. "Administering a tracking program for that level of detail of activity, especially if independent of an organization like a sports team, would be extremely burdensome."

Board members have said these specific changes were suggested in an effort to address health problems among D.C. children, including high rates of obesity and diabetes. 

"I think this is an opportunity for the State Board of Education to think through what it is we're doing with these graduation requirements," Mara said. "Some of these things, while they may seem sound, are at the end of the day impacting the lives of young adults, and we need to we've brought in enough stakeholders into this discussion to have a positive impact." 

A person of interest in a Prince George's County homicide was arrested Friday night after a police chase ended in a crash and the discovery of a woman inside a trunk.

On Friday, around 6:45 a.m., police were called to a home on the 2200 block of Wyngate Road for a report of a fight. When they arrived, they found the body of Jamal Rami Martin, 34, inside the house. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide by strangulation.

Prince George's County homicide detectives identified Leon Antauwn Wynn, 43, of Suitland as a person of interest. According to D.C. Police, officers spotted Wynn's vehicle, a white Chevy Impala on Naylor Road at around 8:30 p.m., but did not initially give chase.

A short time later, officers started following the car in the 2000 block of Gales Street Northeast. This time, a short chase resulted. Police say Wynn crashed the Impala into a fence and then took off on foot, but police caught him and took him into custody on traffic charges.

Then, police told News4's Darcy Spencer that a woman was found in the trunk of the car. Investigators say the woman was also taken into custody, but was not placed under arrest.

While in custody, Wynn allegedly admitted his involvement in causing the death of Martin, police said. Police say the two knew each other through family. Wynn was charged again, this time with second-degree murder and other offenses. He will be extradited to Prince George's County at a later date.

An emergency dispatcher in Montgomery County, Md. was put on administrative leave and an inquiry launched after being recorded snoring during a woman’s desperate 911 call, according to a report by NBCWashington.com.

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Segments of the April 4 recording can be heard in the report broadcast on Tuesday, in which a panicky woman calls to report that her husband is having trouble breathing.

The initial 911 operator transfers her to a dispatcher, whose job it is to send an ambulance. But after the transfer, the woman is heard saying, "Hello? Hello? Hello?" and getting only silence in return.

The snoring sound of the dispatcher comes through just as the 911 operator contacts a second dispatcher, and it becomes louder as that dispatcher talks the woman through the emergency and gets her address.

Just after the panicked woman says, "Now he's all blue," the snore erupts again, and several more times as the second dispatcher speaks to her.

NBCWashington.com describes part of the exchange:

2nd Dispatcher:  "Put one hand on his forehand, the other hand underneath his neck and tilt his head back."

Caller:  "Yes."

Sleeping Dispatcher:  ((Snore))

Caller:  "Uh huh."

In the recording, the second dispatcher repeatedly asked if the woman’s husband was making the noise, according to NBCWashington.com.

Montgomery County Assistant Fire Chief Scott Graham confirmed to the reporters that the sound was in fact coming from the original dispatcher.

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"The employee was immediately removed from the floor by his supervisor that night and placed on administrative leave with pay pending the inquiry,” Graham told NBCWashington.com.

In spite of the sleeping employee, the ambulance dispatch was delayed only 30 to 38 seconds, Graham told msnbc.com.

The man who was having trouble breathing was taken to a hospital and recovered, he said.

Firefighters at the call center work a similar schedule to firefighters in the field in Montgomery county, Graham said — working 24 hours, which includes a six-hour rest period, followed by 48 hours off.

Graham said the dispatcher who fell asleep was 17 hours into a 24-hour shift, or less than an hour from a rest when this incident occured.

Most dispatchers around the country work 10- to 12-hour shifts, he said, but the shift adopted in Montgomery has helped attract and retain personnel who prefer the large blocks of time between shifts.

This was the first time a dispatcher had fallen asleep on the job in his 24 years on the job, Graham told msnbc.com.

"We handle 120,000 calls a year and this was an isolated incident," he said. "I’m not making light of it. It’s very embarrassing. But this is a great reminder to everyone in our department, we have to take care of each other, we have to be vigilant."

The call center has been operating out of a temporary facility during the renovation of a permanent facility, which is being redesigned so that supervisors can see all the dispatchers who are working at any given time, Graham said.

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FBI

Different looks of Eric Justin Toth.

A former private school teacher and camp counselor who is suspected of producing child pornography has replaced slain al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List.

Eric Justin Toth, 30, fled the Maryland-Washington, D.C., area in 2008 after pornographic images  of children were discovered on Toth’s camera and warrants for his arrest were issued, the FBI said. Toth also sometimes assumes the name David Bussone.

Reuters reported that a sealed two-count complaint against Toth has been filed in federal court in Washington, charging him with possessing a video that includes an image of child pornography and transporting it across state lines.

Since then, the Purdue University graduate with a degree in education is believed to have traveled to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. He has also been spotted in Arizona as late as 2009, the FBI said.

He is described as 6-foot-3 and about 155 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. The FBI says a distinguishing feature is a mole under his left eye.

Authorities say he is a computer expert and frequents social-networking websites. A $100,000 reward is offered for information leading directly to Toth's arrest.

Bin Laden had been the FBI’s most-wanted fugitive before he was killed at a hideout in Pakistan last year by U.S. forces.  

The FBI told Reuters that Toth, who could face 15 to 20 years in prison, was put on the list after a lengthy process that included surveying FBI field offices around the country as well as the approval of top FBI officials.

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