A sex offender pardoned months ago by former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) has been arrested on a federal charge of producing child sex abuse material.
Dayton Jones, a 24-year-old registered sex offender, was effectively pardoned by Bevin in December 2019 after being convicted for raping a 15-year-old boy at a party in 2014.
Jones was one of six individuals involved in the rape, which was filmed and distributed as the teenage boy was incapacitated. The boy suffered life-threatening injuries from the rape but recovered.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman said in a statement.
Now, United States attorneys have charged Jones with one count of producing child pornography. According to prosecutors, Jones created and shared the video of the boy’s rape on Snapchat, a social media app often used by teenagers.
Jones is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison if convicted of the child pornography charge.
Before losing his reelection bid to Gov. Andy Beshear (D), Bevin commuted the sentences and pardoned a handful of sex offenders. Aside from Jones, Bevin pardoned Micah Schoettle, who was convicted in July 2018 of raping a nine-year-old girl. Though Schoettle was supposed to serve 23 years, he served less than two years for the conviction.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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