Timothy James Hallows, Child Pornography Possession, Utah 2020

A 62-year-old Kaysville man has been charged with possession of child pornography, according to federal court documents.

Timothy James Hallows, 62, of Kaysville, pleaded not guilty to possession of child pornography during an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Friday.

The charges, filed on May 8, 2020, allege Hallows possessed material containing an image of child pornography involving a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

A change of plea hearing has been scheduled for June 30, 2020, at 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin B. Pead. Hallows is currently in federal custody.

Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Davis County Attorney’s Office have worked together to determine the best venue to prosecute the case.

“These are cases that motivate all prosecutors because they involve the victimization and exploitation of children,” said U.S. Attorney John W. Huber. “My office regularly partners with the Office of the Davis County Attorney on child exploitation cases such as this one, as we do with other county attorney offices throughout the state.

“State court prosecutors and law enforcement officers are experienced and accomplished in developing cases. Unfortunately, and all too often, inadequate state court sentences fail to deliver measured justice that matches the seriousness of the offenses. Federal court convictions can typically bring more appropriate sentences for those who would collect images of sexual violence against children. In this case, state and federal law enforcement partners jointly determined that federal court offered a more appropriate venue for prosecution,” Huber said.

Federal judges consider a number of factors when imposing a sentence for possession of child pornography, including the number of images, use of a computer, distribution of the images, the defendant’s abuse of a position of trust to conceal the offense, the ages of the children in the images, the defendant’s criminal history, the nature and circumstances of the offense, and the characteristics of the defendant.

A Felony Information is not a finding of guilt. A defendant charged in a Felony Complaint is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/hallows-pleads-not-guilty-possession-child-pornography-felony-information-filed-federal