Bland County woman facing federal child porn charges

By JEFFREY SIMMONS/Staff

Arrested in January, a 23-year-old Bland County woman will likely be taken to Wyoming next week to face federal charges of producing and distributing child pornography.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jessica Shockley of Bland is accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 3-month-old child, photographing the activity and then sending the images to a sex offender in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Federal agents arrested her in Virginia on Jan. 26 after an investigation that included help from Wyoming law enforcement, and the Virginia State Police and Bland County Sheriff’s Office.

U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman John Powell wouldn’t put a time frame on the allegations or say where Shockley was incarcerated.

James Hawkins, 49, the man Shockley is accused of sending the electronic images to, has already pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. He could face up to 40 years in prison at sentencing.

Hawkins wasn’t on Wyoming’s sex offender registry so it’s unclear where he received his initial conviction.

If convicted of the production charge, Shockley could spend up to 30 years in prison. She’s facing 20 years on the distribution charge.

According to U.S. Sentencing Commission statistics, only about 10 of the 1,677 child porn offenders in 2010 were female.

Bland County Sheriff Jerry Thompson said similar local charges against Shockley are pending.

In 2008, Shockley was arrested on a Wythe County credit card theft charge that was later dismissed after she successfully completed a year of probation and 50 hours of community service.

According to court records, Shockley was working at Wytheville’s Econo Lodge in 2008 when she got a guest’s credit card number and tried to use it to wire her boyfriend money in Mexico.

At the time, she had no prior criminal record.

Shockley’s Facebook page and court records indicate that she has two children – a boy and girl.

Jeffrey Simmons can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or jsimmons@wythenews.com.