Mancelona Man Sentenced To Seventeen And A Half Years In Federal Prison For Child Pornography

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – Thomas Arlan Evans, 55, of Mancelona, Michigan was sentenced today to 210 months (17.5 years) in federal prison for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles announced. In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker imposed a seven-year term of supervised release that will commence once Evans is released from imprisonment. Evans will also be required to register as a sexual offender.

          Evans pled guilty on July 15, 2016, to possessing child pornography. Evans came to the attention of law enforcement in August 2015 in connection with a domestic-abuse investigation. Police subsequently executed a search warrant at Evans’ home, where they seized a variety of electronic media containing more than 19,000 images and dozens of videos of child pornography. The material depicts victims as young as toddler-aged children, and a number of the images and videos depict sadistic sexual assaults on very young and vulnerable children. Further investigation revealed that Evans had recently had access to a child, and two additional victims disclosed that Evans sexually abused them when they were children.

          This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney's Office, county prosecutor's offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials.

          The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Antrim County Sherriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis prosecuted the case.

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