Jonathan Ray Stocker, a 44-year-old resident of Sprague, Washington, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. This sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker and delivered by United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice. In addition to the prison term, Stocker will face a lifetime of supervised release and is required to pay $45,000 in restitution to his victims.
The case originated on July 1, 2023, when the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department received information from a third party about images and videos of child sexual abuse stored on Stocker's computer. A search warrant executed at Stocker's home on September 1, 2023, led to the discovery of over 9,000 images and 184 videos depicting children under the age of 12 being sexually abused.
Stocker had previously been convicted for possession of child pornography in 2012, which resulted in a sentence of 48 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Acting United States Attorney Barker stated: “The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to holding accountable those who sexually abuse and exploit children. Mr. Stocker’s prior conviction did not deter his conduct, and today’s sentence—along with lifetime supervision—is necessary to protect vulnerable members of our Eastern Washington communities.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves collaboration between federal, state, and local resources to apprehend individuals exploiting children online while identifying and rescuing victims.
Homeland Security Investigations along with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ann T. Wick prosecuted it.
