Former Lee County Deputy Detained Pending Trial for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

       Montgomery, Alabama – Kevin Wayne Taylor (39), of Phenix City, Alabama and former Lee County Deputy Sheriff, was detained without bond today pending his trial for receipt and possession of child pornography, announced George L. Beck, Jr., United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.

       Tuesday, August 23, 2016, Taylor was arrested for receipt and possession of child pornography after an investigation by the State of Alabama Bureau of Investigation.  This investigation started when a 10 year old victim reported that Taylor had inappropriately touched and taken pictures of her genital area ([1]).  The Lee County Sheriff’s Office forwarded the report to the State Bureau of Investigation who executed a search warrant at Taylor’s residence.  During the execution of the search warrant, agents found over 1600 images of child pornography on three computers.  One of the computers containing child pornography was Taylor’s official Lee County Sheriff’s Office laptop computer.  The evidence further showed that Taylor had been collecting these images for approximately eleven years.  Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones promptly terminated Taylor’s employment. 

       A detention hearing was held today to determine if Taylor should be released pending his trial.  The Court found that if Taylor were released from jail, he would pose a danger to the community and ordered that Taylor be held without bond.  

       An indictment is merely a method of charging a defendant.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

       United States Attorney Beck would like to thank the following agencies for their involvement with this case: Alabama State Bureau of Investigation, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security.  Assistant United States Attorneys Hollie Worley and Curtis Ivy are prosecuting the case.