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Office of the Attorney General
Knott County Man Pleads Guilty in Child Pornography Case
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Department of Criminal Investigations' (DCI) Cybercrimes Unit today announced that a plea agreement has been reached with a Knott County man for receipt of child pornography. This marks the completion of one of the first child pornography investigations handled by General Conway's newly created Cybercrimes Unit.
Joshua Slone, 27, of Dema, in Knott County entered a guilty plea on August 26, 2009 in U.S. District Court in Pikeville to a charge of receipt of child pornography. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Investigators in the Office of the Attorney General's Cybercrimes Unit conducted a four-month investigation which resulted in Slone's arrest on March 4, 2009 by DCI and Kentucky State Police. A forensic examination of his computer revealed thousands of images and hundreds of videos depicting child pornography. A federal grand jury in London, Ky. indicted Slone on February 26, 2009 for receiving and possessing child pornography. Prosecution of this case was handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
"As this was the first child pornography case handled by my Cybercrimes Unit, it is particularly gratifying to see it come to a close," said General Conway. "I appreciate the hard work of my investigators. They have not only made Kentucky a national model for Internet safety, they have made the Internet a safer place for Kentucky children."
Slone will be sentenced on December 7, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Pikeville.
Since its creation in June 2008, General Conway's Cybercrimes Unit has launched more than 50 child pornography investigations, made nine arrests and seized nearly 35,000 child pornographic images and videos. The unit is also a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, which is organized by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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