The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Police/Courts

February 15, 2013

Summers man sentenced for child porn

By Wendy Holdren Register-Herald Reporter

A Summers County man was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to four years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Alan L. Grimmett, 51, of Hinton, admitted on June 7, 2011, that he possessed more than 600 images and videos that revealed minors involved in sexual conduct.

Grimmett admitted that he knew those images and videos constituted child pornography and that he had downloaded the content from the Internet.

“Crimes that involve the exploitation of children are repulsive, plain and simple,” U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said. “These types of cases have been a top priority for my office, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the criminals are being punished.”

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Johnson handled the prosecution.

U.S. District Court Judge Irene C. Berger imposed Grimmett’s four-year prison sentence, followed by 15 years of supervised release.

Goodwin said since January 2012, 22 defendants have been convicted as part of an ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District.

So far, 12 defendants have been sentenced to a total of nearly 50 years in federal prison. The remaining 10 defendants are currently awaiting sentencing.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit http://www. justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html. For more information about Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and follow the link named “Resources.”

— E-mail: wholdren@register-herald.com

 

Text Only
Police/Courts
AP Video
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel? Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
CNHI Specials