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Staunton man sentenced to 13 years in prison for child pornography and sexual abuse of a girl

By Hudson Brooklyn Aug 29, 2024

Staunton man sentenced to 13 years in prison for child pornography and sexual abuse of a girl

STAUNTON — Frank Meadows Jr. knew he was going to prison for 13 long years for sexually assaulting a young girl and being caught with child pornography several years ago. Shortly after his sentencing hearing began Wednesday morning in Staunton District Court, he had a request. He asked the judge to allow him to hug his father one last time after the case was over.

Judge Anne Reed denied the Staunton man's request. “I'm afraid that will not be allowed in the courtroom,” Reed said.

Authorities arrested Meadows, 27, in April after a teenager accused him of sexually assaulting her at a Staunton home in 2015 when she was a young child.

Staunton Assistant District Attorney Joseph Perry said Meadows knew the girl's parents and was staying with her family in an apartment. Because space was limited, Perry said, Meadows, then 18 or 19, was instructed to sleep on a mat on the floor of the girl's bedroom.

Perry said Meadows woke the girl during the night and asked if she wanted to play “truth or dare,” a game in which participants either answer a question or pass a dare. During the game, Perry said, Meadows convinced the young girl to take off her clothes before sexually assaulting her. Meadows also exposed himself. Afterward, he told the girl “not to tell anyone what happened,” Perry said.

The victim remained silent for several years before telling a friend and a school counselor about the abuse, Perry said. Staunton police were contacted and an investigation was launched into Meadows. Police arrested him on April 8, and the Staunton grand jury indicted him on numerous charges in July.

After confiscating his cellphone, police found more than a dozen child pornography videos on Meadows' device. Some of the videos showed prepubescent girls being raped by men, Perry said.

When questioned by police, Meadows appeared somewhat embarrassed and said the only women who had ever shown interest in him were “underage” and that he had exhausted “normal avenues,” Perry said. Meadows also said he had been sexually molested as a child.

Meadows pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to one count of aggravated sexual assault, two counts of possession of child pornography and 13 counts of possession of child pornography – a second or subsequent offense.

As part of a plea agreement, Meadows was sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison. Upon his release from prison, he was also sentenced to 10 years' probation and will be required to undergo a sex offender evaluation.

Meadows will be placed on the Virginia State Police sex offender registry.

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Brad Zinn is the police, courts and breaking news reporter for The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs to be investigated? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at [email protected]. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).

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