Royse City man sentenced to prison for possessing child porn

By J.J. Smith. Dallas TX - A Royse City man was sentenced today to 97 months in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

Jerry Lee Shelton, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn after being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa J. Miller. He has been in custody since his arrest at his Royse City home in February, 2009, on charges in a federal complaint.

According to documents filed in the case, Nov 6, 2008, officers with the Royse City Police Department responded to an assault call from a residence. The complainant reported that her boyfriend and roommate, Shelton, had assaulted her during an argument that morning when she observed Shelton viewing child pornography on their home computer.

The same day, a search warrant was executed on Shelton’s residence and electronic equipment, including digital media, was found to contain more than 1,000 images of child pornography. Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted in the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May, 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, Jacks’ statement explained.

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, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

According to Royse City Chief Tom Shelton (no relation), separate investigations for other crimes by Jerry Shelton are currently ongoing but no details can be released at this time.