From Politico:
Jesse Ryan Loskarn, a one-time star staffer who was the former top aide to Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, was found dead Thursday afternoon following charges he possessed and distributed child pornography, according to the sheriff’s office in Carroll County, Maryland. Loskarn, 35, is believed to have committed suicide.
”At approximately 12pm yesterday, Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a private residence in the 6900 block of Kenmar Lane for a report of an unconscious male, believed to be deceased,” said a statement from Colonel Phil Kasten of the Carroll County Sheriff’s office. “Family members reported finding 35 year old Jesse Ryan Loskarn unresponsive in his basement where he’d been residing with family since this past December. The preliminary investigation indicates that Loskarn may have taken his own life, and his body has since been transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for Autopsy. The investigation continues….”
Loskarn, who was awaiting the outcome of grand jury proceedings in his case, had been staying with his parents since being released on his own recognizance. He was scheduled to next appear in federal court on Feb. 10. Loskarn had been ordered not to use the Internet and was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet.
http://www.politico.com/...
Here is an excerpt from the December 11, 2013 Politico article the day Loskarn was arrested:
Loskarn was removed from his home in handcuffs by federal agents shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday and driven away in an unmarked car. Agents from the U.S. Postal Service were on the scene at Loskarn’s home in southeast Washington, D.C. in the Hill East neighborhood on a quiet, tree-lined block of rowhouses near the Stadium-Armory Metro station.
...
Agents put several bags of evidence and a computer in a postal inspector SUV. Agents also went to Alexander’s Senate office and sought access to Loskarn’s work computer, a Senate source said.
Loskarn is one of the most well-known Hill staffers and an influential policy aide. He is also very well-liked in the Senate, and the small community of those who work on the Hill was shocked by the news.
http://www.politico.com/...
Child pornography is one of the most repugnant and unforgivable enterprises known to humankind. Nevertheless, condolences to Loskarn's family and friends.
Update 1:
In case it isn't clear from the excerpts above, Loskarn was Senator Lamar Alexander's (R-TN) Chief of Staff. Diary title edited 5:42pm ET to indicate Loskarn's job title.