A former Nicholas County deputy sheriff has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing and distributing child pornography.
Jarrod Steven Bennett, 38, of Mt. Nebo, was sentenced on no date provided to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release, for the production of child pornography. Bennett must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about March 2, 2023, while employed as a deputy with the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department, Bennett recorded two videos using his cell phone of a minor female sleeping on a couch. Bennett admitted that he knew the girl to be under the age of 12 when he recorded the videos.
Bennett distributed an image he produced of the minor female, and other child pornography, to multiple users on the Snapchat social media instant messaging app. When Snapchat shut down his account for such conduct, Bennett created a new Snapchat account to continue to distribute child pornography.
Law enforcement investigated the cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the Snapchat activity, and traced it to Bennett. Investigators found child pornography on Bennett’s cell phone and evidence that a large amount of data had been deleted from the phone, including when Snapchat informed him it had reported his account.
“Jarrod Steven Bennett violated his position of trust as a law enforcement officer and victimized a child he was meant to protect and care for. He also perpetuated that trauma for her and the other children in the images he distributed, because those images cannot be contained or removed from the hands of pedophiles throughout the world,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson.
Bennett is required to register as a sex offender and face 30 years of supervised release following his 20-year prison sentence.
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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