Cumberland County Woman Gets Maximum Penalty for Producing Child Pornography

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Cumberland County woman was sentenced today to 360 months imprisonment followed by lifetime of supervised release for producing child pornography.    She was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Amy Banks Huddleston, 50, was investigated by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation in July 2021 after a child with whom she had contact was found to be a victim of child sexual exploitation. 

The investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received three CyberTips from the Kik social media platform that one of its users had uploaded child sexual abuse material on multiple days.  The IP address used to upload the images belonged to Joshua Glardon who lived in Fayetteville.  Two of the images in the CyberTip appeared to be homemade images.  Pursuant to a search warrant, Glardon’s digital devices were seized. After a forensic analysis was complete, law enforcement found thousands of images of child sexual abuse material on his phone. Included in those files were images of the child that appeared to be homemade images that were a part of the CyberTips. 

Law enforcement officers were able to identify the child through chat messages Glardon had with Amy Huddleston.  When law enforcement learned Huddleston had access to this child, a search warrant was executed on Huddleston’s residence.  In an interview, Huddleston confessed to allowing Glardon to sexually assault this child.  She admitted she would take images and videos of the child, including videos of her performing sexual acts on the child, and send them to Glardon.  A forensic analysis of Huddleston’s digital devices revealed chat conversations wherein Glardon and Huddleston discussed the sexual abuse of the child.

Glardon was also federally indicted and has entered pleas of guilty to Distribution, Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography.  He is awaiting sentencing. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing was concluded.  U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan

presided over the sentencing.  The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and 

the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-CR98-2FL.

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