Poplar Bluff man pleads guilty to child porn charges

A Poplar Bluff man pleaded guilty to three child pornography charges Wednesday in federal court in Cape Girardeau.

Jeffrey D. Shelton, 46, faces up to 120 years imprisonment on the three charges. Each charge also carries a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for July 15.

Shelton pleaded guilty to attempted production of child pornography, production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

In his plea, Shelton admitted that on the morning of Oct. 24, he physically assaulted his girlfriend, then fled his home with a 5-year-old girl he had abducted several hours earlier, leaving behind his cellphone, which his girlfriend turned over to police, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

Authorities discovered videos of the girl engaged in sexually explicit conduct at Shelton's residence. The phone also contained visual depictions of a 10-year-old girl, and Shelton had attempted to produce images of the 10-year-old engaged in sexually explicit conduct while traveling with her from Butler to Ripley County, the release stated.

As part of his guilty plea, Shelton also admitted he owned a hard drive containing more than 200 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Authorities in Poplar Bluff found the hard drive in his vehicle when he was arrested Oct. 24.

Shelton was court-martialed in 1990 in Fort Hood, Texas, and found guilty of the rape of a child under 16.