U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV | U.S. Department of Justice
An Ashland resident, Walter Sherman Thomas, aged 43, received a 240-month prison sentence for distributing child pornography. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Monday.
The case began with a cyber tip that alerted law enforcement to a Reddit account involved in uploading child sexual abuse material. Upon investigation, authorities discovered several explicit images of minors on the account. A chat within the platform revealed details about the user's employment, leading investigators to identify Thomas as the account holder. Further searches of his phones uncovered 205 explicit images and 87 videos featuring minors.
Under federal guidelines, Thomas is required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. Following his release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for an additional 25 years.
The sentencing announcement was made jointly by Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI's Louisville Field Office; and Chief William Todd Kelley of the Ashland Police Department.
The FBI and Ashland Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton is handling prosecution duties for this case.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. This program involves federal, state, and local resources to track down offenders who exploit children online and rescue victims.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
