STANARDSVILLE — A Stanardsville man facing 12 charges in relation to child pornography has accepted a plea deal in Greene County Circuit Court.
Eric James Jones, 52, pleaded guilty on Feb. 3 to one count of solicitation of a minor, one count of possession and one count of distribution of child pornography.
Jones, who was held without bail at the Central Virginia Regional Jail since his arrest in May, originally was charged with six counts of possession of child pornography (felony charge with a maximum penalty of five years per count), six counts of distribution of child pornography (felony, with maximum penalty of 20 years) and one count of computer solicitation of a minor (a Class 5 felony, with maximum penalty of 10 years).
The charge of computer solicitation notes the defendant “used a communication system such as a computer in order to solicit a child for activities of a sexual nature, knowing or having reason to believe that the victim was between 15 and 18 years old.”
Per the plea agreement, the remaining charges against Jones were dismissed. The maximum penalty for one count of each is 35 years in prison.
Judge Claude Worrell accepted the plea and agreed to suspend sentencing until May 19 so a mental examination can be performed. Dr. Ilona Gravers, a licensed clinical psychologist and certified sex offender treatment provider, will perform Jones’s evaluation.
The evaluation report will be provided to Commonwealth’s Attorney Edwin Consolvo and Bryan Jones, counsel for the defendant, ahead of sentencing.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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