Newton County Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Violations

BEAUMONT, Texas – A 61-year-old Newton, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

John Dale Clark pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2014, to the sexual exploitation of a child and was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.

According to information presented in court, on July 30, 2013, law enforcement officers were alerted to possible child exploitation taking place in Newton County.  Federal search warrants were executed for Clark’s digital camera, memory card, an external thumb drive, and a thumb drive.  A forensic examination of the items revealed images of child pornography, which Clark had produced.  Clark was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 4, 2013.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

            This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.