Simmonds was sentenced today to 50 years in Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division. Attorney General Cornyn has placed emphasis on prosecuting child pornographers, especially in their use of the Internet.
Child pornography hurts the most vulnerable and innocent members of our society-our children.
The state and federal cases against Simmonds originated when the Port Arthur Police Department was led to the Sabine Pass Motel in the course of investigating a runaway case. While making initial contact with Simmonds, police saw images of child pornography in the motel room. A complete search of the room revealed hundreds of images of child pornography and almost 100 video tapes of adult pornography and bestiality. Forensic testing of Simmonds' computer, conducted by U.S. Customs, revealed thousands of images of child pornography on his computer's hard drive. It was this evidence which led to a federal case against Simmonds.