Jerry Lewis Ayres, Child Pornography Charges, West Virginia 2024

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – A Franklin man is facing serious charges after being arrested for possessing and receiving child pornography.

Jerry Lewis Ayres, 55, was taken into custody on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography as part of the nationwide effort Operation Restore Justice.

According to court documents, the West Virginia State Police, on a tip from the Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, opened an investigation into Ayres. On multiple occasions, Ayres downloaded child pornography depicting minors, some under the age of 12, in sexual acts and positions. Investigators searched Ayres’ home, phone, and computer and discovered nearly 1500 images.

Ayres is charged with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is facing at least five years and up to 20 years on the receipt count and facing up to 20 years on the possession count.

Ayres is currently being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christie Utt is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the West Virginia State Police are investigating.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office works with the FBI and other law enforcement to bring those who prey upon children to justice. In the past year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 23 individuals with crimes involving sexual offenses against children, one of whom was sentenced this week to 10 years in prison for his crime.

The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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