Crime & Public Safety
Jury Deliberating in St. Albans Case Alleging Hundreds of chld Pornography Images
A jury in Kanawha County is deliberating the fate of a St. Albans man accused of possessing hundreds of chld pornography images on his cellphone. The 12-member jury began deliberations Thursday and was sent home for the day, with deliberations set to continue Friday before Kanawha County Circuit Judge Dave Hardy.
Prosecutors say investigators found more than 600 images and 27 videos on the defendant’s phone. Kanawha County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Ryanne Ball told the jury that 26 of the 27 videos were under five minutes and therefore count as 25 images each under West Virginia law. Ball argued that the defendant knowingly screen-recorded and hid the videos in a concealed folder on his device.
The defense challenged the chain of custody and whether the phone was in the defendant’s possession when arrested. Defense attorney John Sullivan noted that, at one point in the investigation, the defendant’s phone and another phone were placed into the wrong envelopes and said testimony did not place the phone on the defendant at arrest. Sullivan argued the state had not met its burden of proof.
The defendant was arrested and charged in 2024. If convicted, the charge carries a potential sentence of five to 20 years in prison. The jury remains sequestered to continue deliberations the following day.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
More Kanawha County news · Request a correction or case update
All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.