Temple man sentenced to almost 17 years in federal prison for possession of child porn

WACO, Texas - A Temple man has been sentenced to almost 17 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.

James Stevens, 43, has also been ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and be placed on supervised release for ten years after completing his 200-month prison term.

In February, Stevens pled guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. According to court records, investigators were led to Stevens by information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the South Australian Police. Last June, authorities executed a search warrant at Stevens' home in Temple and seized his cell phone. He was arrested on outstanding state warrants, but bonded out of jail.

Authorities found numerous images of child porn on his phone, including some of him pantless and lying down on a bed next to a minor, says the US Attorney's Office. Information from the images led them to a Rockdale home where the minor lived with his biological father, who said the child was non-verbal and suffered from a cognitive disability. 

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The father also admitted he and Stevens had been in a relationship and had used methamphetamine which was found in the home. Both men were arrested for the meth and CPS was notified, says the US Attorney's Office. Authorities also found around 121 images and 24 videos of child pornography on Stevens' cell phone, computer and online accounts.

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The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.