ARANSAS COUNTY, Texas — An Aransas County jury on Oct. 21 sentenced Curtis McClendon, 35, to 99 years in prison after convicting him of possessing more than 500 images and videos of child sexual abuse, the Aransas County Attorney’s Office said.
Jurors found McClendon guilty of possession of child pornography with more than 500 visual depictions after about 15 minutes of deliberation, according to a news release from County Attorney Amanda Oster’s office. The same jury deliberated about 25 minutes before setting punishment at 99 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. McClendon faced 5 to 99 years or life in prison.
The investigation started with a cyber tip sent to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, according to the release. The tip indicated that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to a Google account.
Testimony at trial indicated the region receives about 8,000 to 10,000 such tips each month that require investigation, the release said. The Attorney General’s Office linked the tip to McClendon and served a search warrant to search his electronic devices.
Investigators seized one phone from McClendon’s home. He gave officers the passcode to the phone and its photo gallery, prosecutors said. When interviewed, McClendon told investigators he believed the children in the images enjoyed what was happening to them, according to the release.
A forensic analysis of the phone found about 75 images and more than 470 videos showing the sexual abuse of children. All of the children were prepubescent, and some were toddlers, the release said. The phone also held chats in which McClendon sought such material and offered to pay for it.
During the punishment phase, prosecutors introduced text messages in which McClendon asked another person to sexually abuse a young girl while he watched, according to the release.
To report suspected child sexual exploitation, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline or call 1-800-843-5678.
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