Man sentenced to 8 years on federal charge after commutation

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — A man who was charged by federal prosecutors with producing child pornography after former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin issued a commutation for state sex crime convictions has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Dayton R. Jones, 28, received the sentence on Tuesday in federal court in Paducah, news outlets reported. It was less than the 10 years prosecutors had sought, but more than defense lawyers had requested after Jones pleaded guilty last year.

The federal charge stemmed from events that led to sodomy and other charges against him by Kentucky prosecutors in 2014. Jones was a few years into a 15-year sentence when Bevin commuted the sentence in 2019, nullifying the case in state court. Federal prosecutors charged Jones the following year.

Bevin issued hundreds of pardons before leaving office, attracting criticism from lawmakers, prosecutors and victims for a handful of pardons of violent felons that appeared to be politically motivated.

Jones had pleaded guilty in state court to using a sex toy to assault a 15-year-old boy who had passed out from drinking. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Hancock has said Jones took a video of the assault and sent it to others using Snapchat. One person who received the video turned it in to law enforcement, leading to the federal charge, Hancock said.