Derek Walton, Child Exploitation, Indiana 2011

Grimy Times Exclusive: Reserve Deputy Arrested for Child Exploitation

A shocking case of child exploitation has come to light in Indiana, with the arrest of Derek Walton, a 31-year-old reserve Sheriff's Deputy from Liberty. Walton has been charged with child exploitation, a serious offense that could land him decades in federal prison.

According to the United States Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett, the filing of formal charges comes as his office has launched Operation Community Watch, a new effort to reduce the abuse of Hoosier children through innovative investigative techniques and aggressive prosecution.

“These cases are always difficult, both as a prosecutor and as a parent,” Hogsett said. “They are even more troubling when the allegations involve a law enforcement official who was entrusted with protecting Hoosier communities. This is what Operation Community Watch was designed to do, however – hold accountable those who endanger our children, no matter who they are.”

Walton has been employed as a reserve Sheriff’s Deputy at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office since 2004, where he works as a jail officer. He has previously been employed by the Union County Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy and jail officer, as well as the Richmond Police Department and Laurel Police Department.

The investigation began in 2011, when federal law enforcement became aware of an individual allegedly sending images and videos of child pornography through an AOL email account. The account was shut down by AOL after a complaint was registered, but a second email account was discovered by federal agents while investigating a sexual offender, who had exchanged child pornography with the account in question.

Agents served a search warrant at Walton’s home on Friday, August 16, and allegedly located a laptop, as well as a thumb drive that was hidden behind a mirror in the main bedroom of Walton’s home. The thumb drive was allegedly found to contain a number of pornographic images and videos depicting a minor female. In addition, agents found a small video camera hidden in a can in the living room, which was found to contain additional explicit materials showing a minor female.

Walton faces decades in federal prison if he is found guilty of child exploitation. In addition, he could be sentenced to years of supervised release, and lifetime registration as a sexual predator. This arrest comes as Hogsett has announced a comprehensive crackdown on child exploitation in Indiana, with the launch of “Operation Community Watch,” which will allow prosecutors and investigators to use cutting-edge techniques to identify and charge people in Hoosier communities who are engaged in the receipt and trafficking of child pornography materials.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the United States Attorney's Office. In the last Project Safe Childhood reporting year, the Office prosecuted 52 defendants, an increase of 37% over the prior year, and 49 defendants were convicted and sentenced. These are all-time records for the Office. The Office conviction rate for PSC cases was 100%, a level it has been at since 1991.

The greatest measure of the PSC program’s impact, however, is the identification and rescue of child victims of sexual abuse. According to Hogsett, the Office has made significant strides in this area, with a number of defendants being charged and convicted of crimes related to child exploitation.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/pr/hogsett-announces-arrest-eastern-indiana-man-child-exploitation-charges