A Wilmore, Kentucky man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the production of child pornography. Jason Horton, aged 43, received his sentence from U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves on Monday.
The sentencing follows Horton's plea agreement where he admitted to engaging in online conversations with minors and soliciting them to produce sexually explicit images. The investigation began in October 2023 after law enforcement received a tip about Horton's activities. Search warrants were executed at Horton's residence, leading to the discovery of incriminating evidence on his phone.
Horton acknowledged having an online relationship with a 16-year-old victim through Snapchat, persuading her to create and send him explicit images. At the time of these offenses, Horton was already registered as a sex offender due to a prior conviction in Kentucky for rape and sodomy in the second degree dating back to 2004.
Federal law mandates that Horton serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for release. Upon release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for life.
The announcement of Horton's sentence was made by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Col. Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Mike Coyle from Madison County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation involved HSI, Kentucky State Police, and Madison County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.
