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Authorities keeping tabs on disgraced doctor who bonded out of jail after child porn arrest
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BATON ROUGE - The WBRZ Investigative Unit learned law enforcement is keeping a close eye on Dr. Antonio Belda, who was arrested this week on child pornography and video voyeurism charges.
Sources said the feds are also involved in the case, but would not elaborate on what role they were playing.
Belda was seen on his front porch Friday afternoon for the first time since his arrest Wednesday, when law enforcement converged on his house executing search warrants and discovering hundreds of files of child porn. It all came to light when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a complaint.
It became a priority case with Belda's unfettered access to children.
Bond paperwork shows Belda posted a $130,000 bond shortly after his arrest. He was released with an ankle monitor, had to turn over his passport and was told to stay away from kids.
East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputies along with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office led the investigation and found hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos of girls under the age of 12. Arrest records show Belda then logged them into his computer at his house.
Our Lady of the Lake issued the following statement following Belda's arrest:
We are shocked to learn of the disturbing allegations against one of our recently employed physicians. When we became aware of these charges and arrest at his home this morning, the physician was immediately terminated with no further patient or staff contact. Our physician hiring process is extremely rigorous and includes background checks, multiple reference checks and other nationally recognized best practices. We will continue to cooperate fully with our law enforcement partners. As always, the safety and care of our patients and team members is our top priority.
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