Former Nicholas County Deputy Sheriff Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jarrod Steven Bennett, 38, of Mt. Nebo, a former Nicholas County deputy sheriff, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release, for the production of child pornography. Bennett must also register as a sex offender.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on or about March 2, 2023, while employed as a deputy with the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department, Bennett recorded two videos using his cell phone of a minor female sleeping on a couch. Bennett admitted that he knew the girl to be under the age of 12 when he recorded the videos. In both videos, the girl is face down on the couch with a blanket covering her torso and her bare legs exposed. In the first video, Bennett filmed the girl as he walked toward her and zoomed the camera to focus on her buttocks. Bennett admitted that he continued to walk toward her as he recorded the second video and filmed his exposed penis and him masturbating near the sleeping girl.

Bennett distributed an image he produced of the minor female, and other child pornography, to multiple users on the Snapchat social media instant messaging app. When Snapchat shut down his account for such conduct, Bennett created a new Snapchat account to continue to distribute child pornography.

Law enforcement investigated the cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the Snapchat activity, and traced it to Bennett. Investigators found child pornography on Bennett’s cell phone and evidence that a large amount of data had been deleted from the phone, including when Snapchat informed him it had reported his account. Investigators also found that the laptop issued to Bennett by the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department had been used to access Snapchat, and that large amounts of data had been deleted from the laptop remotely.

“Jarrod Steven Bennett violated his position of trust as a law enforcement officer and victimized a child he was meant to protect and care for. He also perpetuated that trauma for her and the other children in the images he distributed, because those images cannot be contained or removed from the hands of pedophiles throughout the world,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson.

Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and the Beckley Police Department.

“The Wheels of Justice have prevailed. Evil can try to hide in the shadows, however it will be brought to light,” said Nicholas County Sheriff William F. Nunley. “I would like to thank the investigators and the U.S. Attorney's Office for a complete investigation and swift prosecution. We Nicholas County Citizens are sickened by Bennett’s actions. Those sworn to uphold the laws of this Country and State will never stand idle to it. This is why we have the best justice system in the world.”

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.

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 U.S. 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.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-144.

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