A Sallisaw man was arrested March 10 and charged with aggravated possession of child pornography and distribution of obscene material or child pornography.
Clay Brandon Morton, 39, faces up to life in prison on the charges.
On March 8, a police report reveals, a Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the Sallisaw Police Department to meet with two investigators from the Checotah Police Department in reference to Morton allegedly sending child pornography via mobile phone to a Checotah woman.
The investigators told the deputy they had obtained evidence in the case, which was turned over to SCSO investigator Cindy Smith.
During the investigation, the woman told officers she had been conversing by text messages with a male subject she had met on a dating app. She said the male identified himself as “Billy Smith” and gave her two numbers at which he could be reached. The woman said she had received messages from the man for about a month before the report was made.
She said the man had sent her a photo depicting a female child who appeared to be under age 18 and a dog. “Billy Smith” (actually Morton) told the woman that the girl was his niece and that he had been having sex with her. He allegedly sent additional photos of him and the girl having sex. The woman then went to police.
When officers went to arrest Morton, he said he knew why they were there and admitted sending the photos to other women as well. Morton said he got the photos from the internet and denied having any physical contact with children. During the interview, Morton said he doesn’t know why he looks at child pornography.
Items taken from Morton’s residence included more than 100 images of child pornography and violent child pornography, which included images of infant children found on one of the telephones taken in the search.
Morton was arrested and booked into the Sequoyah County Detention Center.
The punishment for aggravated possession of child pornography is up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, and if convicted, the person must register as a sex offender.
The penalty for distribution of obscene material or child pornography is up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000 or both.
Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer
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