According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Knoxville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (KPD-ICAC) became aware of the existence of child pornography in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. After an undercover investigator received more information on the suspect and the source, the officials used a public router for surveillance to pinpoint the suspect’s whereabouts. The suspect, Johnny Ray Sammons, was located at a local fast food restaurant in Gatlinburg, TN.
In March 2015, Johnny Ray Sammons pleaded guilty to federal charges for using two minor females to produce child pornography and for distributing pornographic material.
Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, Chief U.S. District Judge sentenced Sammons to serve 393 months in prison. Sammons is required to register as a sex offender in any state where he lives, works, or goes to school. When Sammons is released from prison, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 25 years.