RITA COOK / Staff Writer
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ELLIS COUNTY – Jon Russell Whitson, 39, was convicted and sentenced to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for promotion of child pornography on Aug. 19, according to the Ellis County District Attorney’s office.
The Waxahachie resident was convicted of 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
Whitson pleaded guilty to the charges of one count of promotion of child pornography and 10 counts of possession of child pornography on Aug. 15.
The jury heard evidence regarding Whitson’s Instagram being flagged in 2020 at which time a cybertip was sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an image of child pornography and a video that Whitson shared on the social media network.
The Waxahachie Police Department got involved a few weeks later and opened an investigation.
Police served a search warrant on Whitson’s residence on Aug. 18, 2020. Investigators seized his phone for forensic testing.
The Department of Homeland Security Investigations Division conducted the data extraction of Whitson’s phone and found Whitson had several images and videos of sexual abuse of children.
The jury recommended both prison and community supervision sentences for the 11 counts.
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