United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

FEDERAL INDICTMENT CHARGES WISE COUNTY, TEXAS, MAN
WITH POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

FORT WORTH, Texas — Kenneth Dale Chase, 50, of Wise County, Texas, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth on one count of possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Chase made his initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Bleil, who released him on bond pending trial, which is set for April 19, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.

The one-count indictment alleges that between January 15, 2008, and February 7, 2008, Chase knowingly possessed a computer and external storage media that contained child pornography.

An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, Chase faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex C. Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.

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