Former Nicholas County deputy sentenced to prison in child pornography case

NICHOLAS COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — A former Nicholas County sheriff who pleaded guilty to producing child pornography was sentenced to two decades in prison Wednesday, prosecutors said.

Jarrod Steven Bennett, 38, of Mt. Nebo, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 30 years of probation, in a 2023 child pornography case, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Prosecutors said Bennett, while serving as a deputy, recorded two videos of a minor sleeping on his couch, one of which showed him zooming in on the girl's buttocks, another showing his exposed penis and masturbating near her.

Prosecutors said Bennett distributed an image of the underage girl he created and other child pornography to several users of the instant messaging app Snapchat, the release said. When Snapchat closed his account for this behavior, Bennett created a new Snapchat account to continue distributing child pornography.

As part of the sentence, Bennett must also register as a sex offender.