Lincoln County Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Charge

Defendant to Serve 194 Months in Prison for Transporting Minor with Intent to Engage in Sexual Activity

LONDON, Ky. – In a shocking turn of events, Zackary Keith Jones, 35, of Kings Mountain, Ky., has been sentenced to 194 months in prison for transporting a minor over state lines with the intent that the minor engage in sexual activity.

According to court documents, Jones transported a minor victim over state lines, from North Carolina to Lincoln County, Ky., with the intent to engage in sexual activity. Jones used Snapchat to communicate with the victim and lied to the victim about his age to induce the victim to engage in prohibited sexual conduct. Jones also admitted to engaging in sexual acts and sexual contact with the minor victim during and after the interstate transportation of the victim.

The victim, who was reported missing from North Carolina on December 8, 2023, was found by law enforcement on December 25, 2023, in a hidden compartment in the floor of a bedroom at Jones’ residence.

Under federal law, Jones must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. David Dalton, Commonwealth Attorney for the 28th Judicial Circuit, also provided significant assistance to the investigation and prosecution of the case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton. Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General, and Sheriff Shawn Hines, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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