2-09-12 Kearneysville man sentenced for child pornography

MARTINSBURG — A 39‑year-old Kearneysville resident was sentenced on Feb. 6 in United States District Court in Martinsburg by Chief Judge John Preston Bailey.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II, announced that Christopher William Oden was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Oden entered a plea of guilty on Nov. 1, 2011, one count of an indictment charging him with Possession of Child Pornography on Feb. 17, 2011, in Jefferson County.

At the time of the offense, Oden was a registered sex offender as the result of his 2010 conviction in Onslow County, N.C., for the criminal offense of Indecent Liberties with a Child. Oden was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation to a federal institution.

The West Virginia State Police and United States Marshals Service began investigating Oden last year when they discovered that he was involved in a relationship with a 17‑year-old female. Oden’s Hewlett Packard laptop computer was seized after a search warrant was issued and a forensic analysis revealed that Oden possessed graphic video files of the female victim. The investigation also established that Oden had provided graphic photos of himself to the female victim, and that he had first became involved with her when she was 16 years of age.

“The stiff sentence imposed by the court ensures that no else will be victimized by the defendant for a very long time. Not only will he be locked up for the next decade but he also will be prohibited from having any contact with the victim for 20 years after his release,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin K. Reisenweber.