Berkeley County Man Admits to Child Pornography Charge

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Beau Thomas Shores, 42, of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, has admitted to the receipt of child pornography.

According to court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported suspicious activity on a cell phone to law enforcement. The investigation led to Shores and a search of his home, phones, and computers. Officers found thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography, some with children as young as 3 years old.

Shores faces at least 5 and up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

This case was investigated by personnel from the FBI and the Ranson Police Department assigned to the West Virginia Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.