A Millwood man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in federal court to nine child porn charges.
James D. Armes, 37, was sentenced to 50 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley after pleading guilty to five counts of production of child porn, two counts of distributing child porn and one count of possession of child porn.
Armes was arrested by Grayson County Deputy Rance Whobrey and Kentucky State Troopers Joey Beasley and Clayton Ellis at a Church Street residence in Millwood in the early-morning hours of December 3, 2017.
Whobrey had received a tip on Armes’ location, as he was wanted on a Cumberland County misdemeanor warrant. Whobrey was also told that the suspect could be in possession of “disturbing” images of Armes sodomizing and sexually abusing a nine-month-old baby.
While making the arrest, police observed images and videos of Armes sexually abusing a nine-month-old baby on his cell phone, as well as photos of the genitals of a five-year-old boy.
The offenses occurred between October 16, 2017, and November 28, 2017, according to Armes’ federal sentencing memo.
A Grayson County Grand Jury indicted Armes in January 2018 on three counts of sexual abuse and sodomy, and in May of last year he was indicted by a federal grand jury on the nine child porn charges after the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office turned the case over to the FBI.
“A sexual predator who would have, no doubt, continued to prey on our children was removed from the streets of Grayson County,” Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins said about his office giving the case to federal authorities. “The FBI’s investigation will help keep it that way. The images on his phone were some of the most vile and disgusting images we have ever had to view. Monsters like James Armes should NEVER be allowed to walk our streets again.”
Armes, who was already a registered sex offender due to a previous rape conviction, must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, or 42.5 years, before he’s eligible for parole.
“The basic duty of government is to protect our kids, in this case prosecuting a clear threat and sending him to federal prison for five decades,” U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman said about Armes’ sentencing.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
