A Hopkinsville man pardoned last year by former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is now facing federal child pornography charges. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky Russell Coleman announced Tuesday, 24-year-old Dayton Jones has been arrested for one count of producing child sex abuse material.
Jones originally pleaded guilty to first degree sodomy and wanton endangerment charges in Christian County Circuit Court in 2016. He and three co-defendants violently assaulted a 15-year-old boy at a Hopkinsville house party in 2014. The boy suffered severe internal injuries following the assault. Bevin pardoned Jones shortly before leaving office in December.
The new charges stem from the same event that led to Jones’s 2016 conviction. He allegedly used the social networking service Snapchat to create and distribute a video depicting the child sex abuse.
“This prosecution is about one thing and one thing only, Mr. Jones’ conduct in harming someone’s child in the Western District of Kentucky in violation of federal law,” said Coleman, the U.S. Attorney. “It serves as a reminder that despite these uncertain times, Kentucky families are well-served by some inspiring federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals that put themselves at risk to protect our kids.”
If convicted, Jones faces a mandatory federal prison sentence of at least 15 years. A sentence on the child porn charges could include up to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and supervised release of five years up to life.
You can view the executive order commuting Jones’s 2016 sentence below:
