Ex-Denton officer changes plea to guilty in federal child porn case
A former Denton police officer accused of possessing child pornography will no longer face a jury trial next year after instead pleading guilty.
David Schoolcraft was first arrested in March for allegedly sending and viewing child pornography late last year. While he first pleaded not guilty shortly after his arrest, Schoolcraft now has changed his plea to guilty.
Instead of a jury trial, a judge now will sentence Schoolcraft, 37, in the child pornography case. The plea agreement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, was sealed Tuesday. In a plea agreement, parties can agree upon a sentence for the defendant, but the sentencing is ultimately left to the judge’s discretion.
The penalty, according to a document filed Tuesday, is up to 20 years in prison if the content showed minor(s) who weren’t yet 12 years old. The court record says Schoolcraft’s phone had images of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and a minor who wasn’t yet 12 years old.
Read more: https://dentonrc.com/news/crime/ex-denton-officer-changes-plea-to-guilty-in-federal-child-porn-case/article_c1353bea-885b-593c-90d0-f73fc7ee83df.html
(Denton Record-Chronicle)
