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Fort Lauderdale City Employee Arrested For Possessing Child Porn

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - A Fort Lauderdale city employee is facing child pornography charges after investigators say someone saw the man -- who works as a Building Inspector -- looking at the pornography in his car in a McDonald's parking lot.

City officials say Todd Thomsen has been placed on administrative leave from his $69-thousand dollar a year job after his arrest early this morning. He faces four felony charges.

Investigators say around 2 am on Friday morning an alert person told police that Thomsen was sitting in his car looking at child pornography.  The police reveals that police caught Thomsen in the act with his computer on and child porn on the screen.

The report also reveals that Thomsen told detectives he was searching for "tiny little models" on the internet intending to look at child porn.

The news surprised customers who couldn't believe someone would do this in the parking lot of a family restaurant.

"In a McDonald's parking lot," said Lenny Reynoso. "That's sad. What are we coming to."

The police report says Thomsen admitted looking at child porn beginning last December.

On his computer, police allegedly found at least three other images of child pornography. A spokesperson for the city of Fort Lauderdale tells CBS 4 that Thomsen has worked as a building inspector in the city since 2006.

Customers think if the charges are proven, Thomsen needs to be punished.

"Those perverted people," Reynoso. "They deserve to be put away for a while."

The city spokesperson tells CBS 4 News they will do an internal investigation and after that they'll determine whether Thomsen can keep his job.

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