Former Buckhannon Mayor Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Offense
Friday, December 6, 2024, 8:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
WHEELING, W.VA.- The former Mayor of Buckhannon, West Virginia, and disgraced council member who resigned from the City Council on October 8, 2024, following being indicted on multiple child pornography offenses appeared yesterday in federal court and pleaded guilty to possessing images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit acts.
According to U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, on Tuesday, December 5, 2024, David Walter McCauley, 66, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone to one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
In return for the guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will withdraw the two counts of production production of child pornography charges. When sentenced, McCauley faces a maximum of up to 10 years in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend that McCauley receive the maximum term of imprisonment.
According To Charging Information
According to charging information unsealed in the indictment, McCauley enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production. During the investigation, Investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant at McCauley’s home and office and seized electronic devices containing digital images and video files depicting the bot engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“Manipulating a child to produce pornographic images is a despicable crime,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our law enforcement partners to ensure that David McCauley will no longer pose a threat to the community.
U.S. Attorney credited the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Police Department, and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.
McCauley will remain in custody until sentencing, at which time he will transferred to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
