Elmore County Man Pleads Guilty To Producing Child Pornography

Montgomery, Alabama - Joshua Ray Parton, age 25, of Elmore County, Alabama, was sentenced on Friday, May 10, 2013, to serve 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography, U.S. Attorney George L. Beck, Jr., announced. Between 2007 and 2012, Parton raped two minor boys—a twelve-year-old and a nine-year-old—on multiple occasions, using his cell phone camera to capture images of his molestation of the children. Statements by the families of the victims reflected the severe and long-lasting suffering that the children had been through and continued to cope with. In handing down the 30-year prison sentence, Judge Myron Thompson noted the immeasurable trauma that Parton’s actions had wreaked in the lives of his child victims and their families.

“The actions of this defendant were revolting and despicable,” said United States Attorney George L. Beck, Jr. “We hope that this sentence will send a message to others who would prey upon children. We will not tolerate it and they will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

“Sadly, but unfortunately true, these types of sexual assaults continue to plague not only our county, but other locations across the country,” stated Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin. “Hopefully, Mr. Parton will have an opportunity to reflect on the behavior he has exhibited while in jail, which I believe everyone hopes is a significant amount of time.”

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc/resources.

This case was investigated by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the United States Marshal’s Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jared H. Morris.

PRESS CONTACT: Clark Morris
Email: usaalm.press@usdoj.gov
Telephone: (334) 551-1755
Fax: (334) 223-7617