(Joshua Kellogg) A San Juan County man has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography after Facebook reviewed the photos and reported the man.
Source – Farmington Daily Times
by Joshua Kellogg, September 20th, 2020
John Newton, 38, was sentenced to 12 years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections during a Sept. 14 hearing in Aztec District Court, according to court records
District Court Judge Daylene Marsh presided over the case.
Newton pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony count of possession of visual medium of sexual exploitation of children as part of an Aug. 3 plea agreement.
A third-degree felony count of distribution of visual medium of sexual exploitation of children was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
San Juan County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dustin O’Brien told The Daily Times the district attorney’s office was pleased with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office investigation and prosecutor Gertrude Lee’s work.
Shane Goranson, Newton’s attorney, said giving Newton the maximum sentence won’t help him get the treatment he needs.
“John must pay for his crime but we should balance retribution and treatment so when he does come back to a community we are all truly safer,” Shane Goranson said.
Newton admitted to a previous felony conviction in Colorado as part of his plea agreement in 2013 for criminal impersonation.
O’Brien said Newton got 10 years in prison for the child pornography conviction with an additional two years for the Colorado conviction and because the child in the explicit photo was under the age of 13. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on July 20, 2019 was notified by Facebook that Newton had been using Facebook Messenger to send child pornography images, according to court documents.
The investigation led to Newton’s residence in the area of Bloomfield on County Road 5008.
Newton denied to investigators any knowledge of the illegal images and denied possessing the sexually explicit photos.
He could not explain how an image of child pornography sent via Messenger occurred on his home internet account.
A phone belonging to Newton had its contents extracted and the thumbnail of a child pornography image sent via Messenger was found.
Newton has been held without bond at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center since his Oct. 17 arrest. He gets credit for time served at the county jail.
About The Author
Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at [email protected].
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
The news is important to all people because it is where we come to know new things about the world, which leads to the development of more life goals that lead to life wisdom. The news also serves as a social connection tool, as we tend to relate to those who know about and believe the things we do. With the power of an open truth-seeking mind in hand, the individual can grow wise and the collective can prosper.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammatical mistake? Send an email to [email protected], with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at [email protected]. Thank you for reading.
Source:
Leave a Reply