Dayton Jones, who had his sentence vacated by former Governor Matt Bevin for the 2014 sexual assault of a 15-year-old male at a party on Lafayette Road, pled guilty to a child porn-related charge Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Paducah.
Jones entered a guilty plea to one count of production of child pornography as part of a deal that comes with a sentence of 10 years in prison, according to a news release.
The Courier Journal reports the deal is unusual in that the sentence is actually less than the mandatory minimum of 15 years for that charge.
A judge still has to sign off on the agreement before final sentencing and three former prosecutors told the Courier Journal that a less than mandatory sentence “is only permitted if a defendant is cooperating with the government and provides ‘substantial assistance.’”
The paper has reported that “in the prosecution of another defendant Bevin pardoned, Patrick Baker, a federal prosecutor and a federal agent disclosed in open court in June that the government was conducting a separate investigation of Bevin’s clemency orders.”
U.S. Attorney Seth Hancock outlined Jones’ alleged role in the sexual assault, recording of the incident and sending it to others on Snapchat. When Judge Thomas Russell asked Jones if he did what he’s accused of, Jones reportedly replied “yes sir.”
Jones is required to pay $50,000 to the victim in the case and sentencing was scheduled for February 9.
Court officials say it will be up to the judge whether Jones should receive credit for the time spent in state custody as well as how long Jones will be under supervision after he’s released.
Three co-defendants—Colton Cavanaugh, Tyler Perry and Sam Miller—accepted plea deals in local court that came with varying sentences.
The Christian County Sheriff’s Office investigated the original incident.