Former Mayor Pro Tem of Allen, Texas pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

Gary Caplinger, the former Mayor Pro Tem of Allen, Texas, pleaded guilty this week to two felony counts of possession of child pornography.

Caplinger, who was arrested in February 2021 on suspicion of child pornography possession, had served as Mayor Pro Tem in Allen since 2012.

Prior to that he served as a council member since 2006 and had been a police officer for ten years. At the time of his arrest, the married mayor was in his final term in office due to term limits. Jail records show Caplinger posted bond and was released the day of his arrest.

Upon his arrest after a grand jury indicted him in February last year, city officials appeared shocked by the allegations against Caplinger. They issued a statement saying, “We were shocked to learn today of the arrest of Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Gary Caplinger on charges related to child pornography. The case did not originate with the Allen Police Department.”

Caplinger resigned from the council days after his arrest.

During a plea hearing on Thursday, Caplinger pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession of child pornography, with one of the counts including a charge of intent to promote. Caplinger was sentenced to five years for each incident, and ten years probation after the time is served.

He will also have register as a sex offender, agree to counseling, and forego contact with children.

The two incidents occurred in August 2019 and March 2020, according to jail records. Caplinger’s attorneys have not commented publicly on the plea or sentencing. The plea and sentencing hearing had originally been scheduled for December, but was pushed back twice before it took place this week.