Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following press release:
Ridgeland Resident Going to Prison for Child Exploitation
Jackson,
Miss.- A Madison county man has been sentenced to prison for possessing
child pornography, announced Attorney General Jim Hood.
David Stough, 46, of Ridgeland, pleaded guilty to one count of child exploitation Monday
before Madison County Circuit Judge John Emfinger. He was sentenced to
40 years in the custody of the
Mississippi Department of Corrections, with five years to serve and 5
years of post-release supervision. Stough was ordered to pay $1,000 to
the Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund and $1,000 to the Mississippi
Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund. Stough must
also register as a sex offender.
Stough
was arrested at his home Sept. 4, 2014, by investigators with the
Attorney General's Cyber Crime Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children
Task Force, with assistance from the Ridgeland
Police Department, an ICAC Task Force Affiliate. The Attorney
General’s investigation revealed that Stough had downloaded numerous
images of child pornography on his computer.
“Our
attorneys and investigators worked diligently with the Ridgeland Police
Department to ensure this man was convicted and off the streets,”
Attorney General Hood said. “We will
continue to focus all our resources, including advanced computer
hardware and software, to seek out and find child predators and bring
them to justice. We thank Judge Emfinger for this sentence.”
“The
relationship that exist between these agencies to come together and
work hand in hand throughout an investigation into these predators is of
most importance for a successful prosecution,”
Ridgeland Chief of Police John R. Neal said. “The Ridgeland Police
Department is fortunate to have a partnership with General Hood and the
agents of the ICAC Task Force to work diligently in building these
cases. The sentence imposed should send a message
that law enforcement in Mississippi takes these crimes very serious and
will procedure to the fullest extent of the law.”
19 comments:
What does a 40 year sentence with 5 to serve and 5 years probation mean? Where does the 40 years fit into this sentence? To a layman like myself, it looks like after 10 years, the 40 years is over. pls explain
Forty years will be like the sword of Damocles hanging over this sick perv's head for the rest of his life. I actually think this is a fair sentence, and I commend Judge Emfinger for his judiciousness.
The guy didn't touch anybody. He downloaded (admittedly really sick) images. He pleaded guilty. So the "five to serve" gets done, then supervised probation for five more. Of course he'll have to register as a sex offender everywhere he goes for the rest of his life, too.
The 40-year sentence is still there, though. If he's popped for ANYTHING else, ever again, a judge can order that he serve the balance of the 40.
I was sort of looking at that 40 year thing also. I didn't get real far in school but I can even see that 5+5 does not equal 40.
How do you know what the images were? I've always wondered if there are degrees of child pornography. It's easy to bring the house down on someone looking at photos of naked five year old boys, but if it's a video of a sex act between a man and a "child" who's a week shy of her 18th birthday? The line has to be drawn somewhere, I know, but where?
11:10--
I posted at 10:20. Don't know if your question was directed at me; in any case I'm not an expert on that. I certainly wasn't trying to diminish the nature of the dude's crimes. i meant simply to distinguish between downloading images and the actual touching of a child in a sexual manner.
Straight-up 40 years to serve would be, in my estimation, over the top when no physical contact was involved.
It may just be a coincidence, but people convicted of these crimes have a very short life expectancy in prison. It is not a comfortable way to go in most cases. This probably makes 40 years or 5 years a moot point.
A previous AG would have been hard pressed to prosecute a member of his own staff for the same activity. Even. Using. Office. Equipment.
11:41, it doesn't say much for law system to depend on the prisoners to do something the judges fail to do.
Here's what I don't understand. This guy was convicted on one count, but he apparently downloaded a significant number of images. Why only one count?
Here is some legal stuff
https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-child-pornography
@11:10, The law is a sword as much as it is a shield, just because the guy didn't physically put his hands on someone does not mean there isn't a victim...there is a child whose life will forever be altered by this abuse. Why are advocating so hard for the offender? Using your flawed logic, I'd like to see your sentencing recommendation for the person who downloads videos of YOUR child being abused.
Don't rest so easy assuming he will actually serve the full 40 if he violates his probation. A family member killed my father (fairly certain the gun was not obtained legally. Shock and gasp!) and was sentenced to the maximum, which is 20 years, with 5 years reported probation and 5 years unreported. He never went to a state correctional facility and spent a mere 36 hours in county lock up. Fast forward several years into his reported probation period, and he was convicted of felony shoplifting in an adjoining county. Zero communication between DA on the manslaughter conviction and DA on the shoplifting conviction. Somehow, he was not turned over to state custody to serve ANY of his sentence as was supposedly required. I didn't even get to go to the sentencing hearing because victim services in the original county had no idea of the subsequent felony. Lucky me, though, I just got a victim notification from MDOC last week letting me know that all 10 years of probation have been served, and the killer is now a free man. Nice. Pretty sure this same scenario plays out around the state.
1:01, I'm not advocating for anyone. I simply asked if the poster above me had any information as to the images. In my opinion, someone who possesses an image of a naked six year old should receive a much harsher punishment than someone in possession of an image of a naked 17 and 11/12's year old. The federal law is 18. That means a the time difference between a legal photo and an illegal one is fairly short.
1:21 - And one day the legal drunk limit was .09 but the next day the law changed and it was .08. And on that subsequent day, lots of folks got thrown in the tank who, just yesterday, would have skated.
I think the sentence should be directly proportional to the number of days between the subject of the photo/video and his/her 18th birthday.
8:14am, the prosecutor may not even know the exact age of the victim in the picture, so your punishment calculation method is moot.
Regardless, I find it very concerning just how much energy you're putting into trying reduce the sentences of offenders, but not shown one iota of concern for the underage victim. Maybe the state should be looking at your computer's contents and download history?
Castrate him. I'm serious.
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Anonymous Anonymous said...
What does a 40 year sentence with 5 to serve and 5 years probation mean? Where does the 40 years fit into this sentence? To a layman like myself, it looks like after 10 years, the 40 years is over. pls explain
June 28, 2016 at 9:37 AM
WTH??? I agree!!! Make the SOB do 40 years!!!!!! These judges need to be burned at the stake!!!!! It's almost like they support the crime by cutting the punishment down!!!!!
PittPanther, don't be an idiot. Of course the prosecutor knows the age of the victim. Again, I'm not defending the guy. Bury him under the prison for all I care. I just see this crime as one with degrees based on the age of the victim.
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