Sweet Home Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Possession of Child Pornography

EUGENE, OR—Darrell Eugene Newton, 29, was sentenced today by United States Chief District Judge Ann L. Aiken to serve 84 months in prison for his possession of child pornography. Newton was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release following his release from prison. During his supervised release he must abide by a number of conditions which include mental health counseling and restricted access to computers and the Internet.

Newton pleaded guilty on August 11, 2010, to one count of possession of child pornography. In pleading guilty, Newton admitted that in June of 2007, he possessed over 150 images of actual minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also admitted that the offense involved an actual prepubescent minor or an actual minor under the age of 12 years, and that the offense resulted from his use of a computer. These facts served to enhance his sentence. He also admitted that the offense occurred after his prior convictions for sexual abuse in the first degree and attempted sodomy in the second degree in Case Number 00040982 in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Linn County on July 18, 2000, and encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree in Case Number 02061344 in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Linn County on September 27, 2002. These prior convictions further enhanced his sentence.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Eugene Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Sean B. Hoar.

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 United States 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.