Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Trenton Alan Cremeans, 23, of Seth, pleaded guilty today to possession of prepubescent child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 17, 2024, Cremeans possessed approximately 115 images and 22 videos of child pornography on his cell phone. Cremeans admitted that these images and videos include depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Cremeans further admitted that he downloaded these images and videos online, and had used his cell phone to search online for child pornography and related information by using specific search terms.

Cremeans is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Cremeans must also register as a sex offender.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.

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 the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-41.

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