Man Pleads Guilty to Watching Abuse of Girl Online

GREENBELT, MD — A Prince George’s County man who admitted that he watched another man sexually abuse a 9-year-old girl repeatedly via the computer faces up to 20 years in prison.

Arthur Charles Clements, 57, of Temple Hills, pleaded guilty Thursday to receiving child pornography.

According to Clements’ plea agreement, authorities received a report of suspected child pornography from Microsoft after Clements uploaded an image depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct to his One Drive account. On July 24, 2015, Maryland State Police troopers and federal agents from HSI searched Clements’ residence.

Investigators seized a laptop computer that contained from than 1,900 videos and 1,100 images of child pornography, including images and videos depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct and other depictions of violence performed on prepubescent children.

Clements admitted that he downloaded and distributed child pornography and had been watching child pornography for about seven years. Clements also admitted chatting via Skype for at least six months with a man living in another state who was sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl. Clements admitted to watching live sexual conduct between the man and girl. Clements had at least 34 videos and 25 images documenting the sexual abuse of the girl saved on his laptop computer.

Within 12 days, federal agents arrested the individual with whom Clements chatted via Skype, Joshua Logan Thornton, 31, of Wynne, Ark., and the child was rescued. Thornton pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

In 2007, Clements was convicted of indecent exposure in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court stemming from images and videos he sent toa teenaged girl.

As part of his plea agreement, Clements must register as a sex offender.

Clements faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison for receiving child pornography. His sentencing is set for June 1.