Tulare County officials are in a national spotlight -- and the glare is not flattering.

A former county library worker has attracted support from outraged citizens, librarians and advocacy groups across the country. Brenda Biesterfeld contends she was fired for defying orders by reporting to police that she saw a man viewing child pornography at a library branch in Lindsay.

On March 4, officers arrested Donny Lynn Chrisler, 39, on suspicion of viewing child pornography. Two days later, Biesterfeld was let go.

County officials say the two events were unrelated. But they acknowledge the timing is unfortunate.

"The fact that these two events occurred within a short time does not mean they are connected," said Connie Conway, chairwoman of the county Board of Supervisors, at a recent meeting. "However, we appreciate that the public's perception may be to the contrary."

County officials said Tuesday that they're willing to show records proving their account of her termination if Biesterfeld signs a waiver releasing the county from its obligation to protect employee confidentiality. Biesterfeld said Tuesday she is willing to do that -- but Friday still was waiting for advice from her lawyer.

Outrage afar and at home

The county's point of view is not attracting much notice, however, among those outraged by the suggestion that county bureaucrats were more concerned about following the rules than doing the right thing.

Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy of the conservative Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., scolded county officials last week on the group's Web site in a posting entitled "Fire Those Who Protect Child Porn Users, Not Those Who Report Them."

"One hopes that Biesterfeld will get her job back -- and that her porn-defending supervisors ... will lose theirs," Sprigg wrote.

In an interview, Sprigg said he learned of the case from the Liberty Counsel, another national conservative group that is providing Biesterfeld legal help.

"I was shocked by the story they recounted ... and by what I read in the news," Sprigg said. "We wanted to draw people's attention to it through the blog."

Other conservative and religious groups and Web sites -- Catholic Exchange, the Christian Post, Roman CatholicBlog.com and FreeConservatives.com, among others -- are talking up Biesterfeld's cause as well.

And Family Friendly Libraries, a national organization that advocates for child-safe policies at libraries, announced Thursday that Biesterfeld will receive the organization's Gold Star Award.

County spokesman Eric Coyne said officials worry some of the criticism may escalate beyond simple outrage.

"Some blog posts have made threats of violence against county employees over this, and we've notified law enforcement of those threats," he said.

County board chairwoman Conway says she has been startled by the hateful tone of some accusations.

"We take our responsibility seriously, and we certainly don't support porn in our libraries," she said. "My goodness, I'm a mother and a grandmother, and our board is made up of five very conservative people."

The county isn't getting a lot of sympathy even at home.

The Rev. Karen Stoffers, pastor of Lindsay United Methodist Church, said it's not a matter of politics, censorship or religion, but about common sense and responsibility.

"People are just offended," said Stoffers, whose church is across the street from the Lindsay library where Biesterfeld worked. "The thought of someone viewing child pornography just hits them at a base, gut level."