Usually, when federal agents close in on a child pornography suspect for an arrest, things go smoothly.

Sometimes a guy will even confess right on the spot.

Not on Monday.

Authorities say Robert Paladino didn't like the idea of being arrested, so he rammed a U.S. postal inspection car and led agents on a chase through Aliquippa before crashing into a telephone pole.

Paladino, 47, of Mill Street in Aliquippa, was dazed enough after that to be taken into custody, and yesterday he made his first appearance in U.S. District Court to be arraigned.

He didn't have a lawyer, though, so another hearing will be scheduled.

U.S. Postal Inspector Tom Clinton said he and other inspectors moved in on Paladino outside the Shipping Store & More on Sheffield Road, where he was expecting to pick up child pornography videos in what agents called a "controlled delivery."

But nothing was controlled, it turned out.

"I followed Paladino to his vehicle, at which time I informed him he was under arrest," said Clinton in an affidavit. "Paladino jumped in his car and said, 'No, no, no.' He backed his car into [my] vehicle that was attempting to block his exit. He pushed that vehicle out of the way, and fled from the parking lot at a high rate of speed."

Clinton said the chase lasted maybe five or 10 minutes before Paladino drove into a police car that was blocking a road and smashed into the pole. During the pursuit, Clinton said, Paladino tossed his package of porn videos out the window.

They'll be a key piece of evidence against him.

Paladino, who was out on bond awaiting trial on child sex abuse and pornography charges in Beaver County stemming from a December arrest, was the target of an undercover "reverse sting" in which agents place ads online as a lure for people interested in trading or collecting kiddie porn.

According to a criminal complaint, Paladino, using the screen name "garyboy," responded to an ad placed on Yahoo by Postal Inspector Tom Kochman saying he had child porn videos for sale.

Kochman and Paladino traded e-mails in which they agreed to trade various porn images of young boys. On June 7, Kochman told "garyboy" that he had five videos for sale and described them in graphic detail.

"Garyboy" said he wanted them and sent images from his own porn collection, according to the affidavit. But he also said, "to be on the safe side I want to state I am not from law enforcement. Could you tell me if you have any relation to law enforcement, too?"

Kochman said in response the next day: "Hi, first off I am not a cop nor am I working for any law enforcement agency."

Paladino fell for the lie.

Eventually, the two agreed to exchange porn videos burned onto CDs. "Garyboy" gave his address at the mailing center in Sheffield Plaza and sent his own package to Kochman's undercover address.

At 2 p.m. on Monday, according to the affidavit, Paladino showed up at the mailing center to pick up his tapes when agents moved in.