Dayton Jones of Hopkinsville is now facing a federal charge of child pornography after he was released from prison when former Governor Matt Bevin commuted his sentence before leaving office in December.
U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman announced Tuesday 24-year old Jones is charged with one count of producing child sex abuse material in October 2014. He said Jones created a video depicting child pornography and shared the video with others, using the social media app Snapchat. Coleman added Jones previously pled guilty to state charges involving sodomy, wanton endangerment, and distribution of material depicting the sexual performance of a minor in Christian County Circuit Court.
Coleman stated, “this prosecution is about one thing and one thing only, Mr. Jones’ conduct in harming someone’s child in the Western District of Kentucky in violation of federal law”. He added, “even in these trying times, our investigators will work tirelessly to ensure the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky are protected from those who seek to victimize them”.
According to Coleman, Jones faces a mandatory minimum 15-year sentence in federal prison, The maximum potential penalties are 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release of five years up to including life. He adds there is no parole in the federal system.
Coleman said the case was investigated by the Christian County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the FBI, Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, and the U.S. Marshals Service, who all played a critical role in advancing the federal charges and security Jones’ arrest.
Jones was released from the Luther Luckett Correctional Facility in La Grange after former Governor Bevin commuted his 15-year sentence in December. Jones was serving time in the facility after he pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal in 2016 in connection to the brutal sexual assault of a 15-year old male at a party at a Lafayette Road home in 2014.
