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'Big Brother' contestant's child porn comments prompt police investigation

As if racist, sexist and homophobic comments hadn't already caused enough controversy in the "Big Brother" house this season, earlier this week, one contestant created a whole new cause for concern when he joked about an appreciation for child porn.On Aug. 5, Spencer Clawson grabbed the microphone of a fellow houseguest and delivered a message that entertained some contestants and outraged many li
Image: Spencer Clawson
Is child porn ever a joking matter? \"Big Brother\" contestant Spencer Clawson seems to think so.Today

As if racist, sexist and homophobic comments hadn't already caused enough controversy in the "Big Brother" house this season, earlier this week, one contestant created a whole new cause for concern when he joked about an appreciation for child porn.

On Aug. 5, Spencer Clawson grabbed the microphone of a fellow houseguest and delivered a message that entertained some contestants and outraged many live-feed viewers.

“I love to (masturbate) to child porn," he said while holding McCrae Olson's microphone and presumably pretending he was Olson. "Have I ever told y’all about that? I love it. (Masturbating) to child porn is my favorite thing there is. I love it when they’re (expletive) around 3 or 4 years old. My favorite ones are when you can tell they’re in a basement somewhere in Minnesota.”

Clawson may have considered his comments nothing more than an obviously offensive joke, but he hasn't earned any laughs outside of the "Big Brother" house. Instead, he earned the attention of his hometown police department in Conway, Ark.

"The Conway Police Department was alerted to comments made,” a police spokesperson told TODAY.com. “Due to the nature of the comments, our department moved quickly to look into the matter. We did not find that any criminal act was committed.”

As for who alerted the authorities about the comments, Clawson's own employer, Union Pacific, takes credit.

"Due to the volume of feedback Union Pacific has received from the public about Spencer Clawson's Aug. 5 comments on the CBS reality show 'Big Brother 15,' the company wants to reiterate that it has taken all the action it can under the Collective Bargaining Agreement until Mr. Clawson is released from the show," read a statement on Union Pacific's website. "Mr. Clawson took an unpaid leave of absence to participate on 'Big Brother 15.' Union Pacific has notified law enforcement of Mr. Clawson's Aug. 5 comments."

This isn't the first time the railroad company has released a statement concerning Clawson since his "Big Brother" stint began. On July 6, just two and a half weeks after the season premiered, Union Pacific responded to public reaction to other offensive comments made by Clawson, including remarks many considered anti-Semitic and misogynistic

"The values represented by Spencer Clawson's comments during the 'Big Brother' show do not at all align with Union Pacific's values," the earlier statement read. "Mr. Clawson is on unpaid leave of absence while participating on 'Big Brother.' Union Pacific does not condone his comments."

TODAY.com reached out to CBS for comment about the latest controversy. The network has yet to respond.