United States Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Virginia
Chuck Rosenberg - United States Attorney

ALEXANDRIA     NEWPORT NEWS      NORFOLK      RICHMOND

June 26, 2007

Further Information Contact:
Deanna Warren
Phone: (757) 441-6331

Truck Stop Graffiti Author Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Offenses

(Norfolk, Virginia) - Jeremy Harry Drowns, age 32, a Canadian citizen, pled guilty today to two counts of possessing and transporting child pornography. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, also announced that sentencing is scheduled for September 27, 2007, before United States District Judge Walter D. Kelley. Drowns faces a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release after completing his prison sentence, for up to life.

According to court documents, the case arose when police in Brookville, Pennsylvania, responded to a complaint about sexually explicit graffiti written on a truck-stop restroom wall, including disturbing comments expressing sexual interest in little children. An undercover law enforcement officer responded to the e-mail address listed in the graffiti and determined that the author was a commercial truck driver who traveled extensively across the United States. The officer further determined the author's name and his occasional commercial contacts in the Tidewater area of Virginia. The case was then referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

On April 25, 2007 FBI agents interviewed Drowns, and with his consent, conducted a preliminary investigation of his laptop computer. Upon finding illegal child pornography on the computer, the agents arrested him.

In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The investigation was conducted by the Brookville, Pennsylvania, Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael C. Moore is prosecuting the case for the United States.