FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — An Elkins man has been sentenced to more than 33 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to court records, 32-year-old Aaron Gatewood, of Elkins was sentenced Wednesday (Nov. 4) to 405 months in federal prison without the possibility of parole followed by lifetime supervised release on two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor by Production of Child Pornography.
Court records state that on or about Sept. 24, 2019, Gatewood was arrested on state charges pursuant to an undercover operation being conducted in the Western District of Arkansas, Homeland Security Investigations Fayetteville, and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.
Records state that Gatewood arranged to meet with the undercover officer in order to have sexual contact with a minor.
After his arrest, investigators searched Gatewood’s cell phone where they found child pornography that had been produced by Gatewood. A follow-up investigation determined that Gatewood video-recorded himself sexually abusing a 7-year-old female on two different occasions.
“This case is a great example of some of the most important work that we do in the Western District of Arkansas,” said First Assistant Fowlkes. “The work of protecting our communities from child predators, from child pornographers, and from other criminals who seek to abuse children is one of our top priorities. We are proud to work with our state and local partners at the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in this effort. The officers and agents on the task force work hard every day to build cases like this one and help protect our communities from child predators. They should be commended for their hard work on this case and the many others like it that the task force has developed.”
“Our special agents are committed to protecting innocent children and our communities from the scourge of child predators. Combining HSI efforts with our law enforcement partners enables us to increase capabilities, save lives, and prevent future atrocities,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Gilbert Trill. “We hope the lengthy prison sentence provides an opportunity for healing for the victims and their families.”
Gatewood was indicted in Jan. of 2020 and entered a guilty plea in April of 2020.