A Bland County faces up to 50 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing child pornography on Monday, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
On Feb. 12, authorities said they executed a state search warrant at 42-year-old William Blankenship’s home after they were told that he engaged in sexual acts with children and was in possession of child pornography.
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Authorities said that during that search, they found a cell phone that belonged to Blankenship that had more than 50 child porn videos produced by Blankenship that showed him having sex with two minors, who were around 13 and 14 when the abuse began. Authorities also found a gun and other electronic devices that belonged to Blankenship.
After further investigation, officials determined that Blankenship routinely coerced the two victims to engage in sexual activity with him and with each other.
On Monday, Blankenship pleaded guilty to 17 counts of production of child pornography and one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. Blankenship is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2021 and faces between 20 and 50 years in federal prison.