Bluemont Man Sentenced To 19 Years In Child Pornography Case

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A man from Bluemont was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the production and distribution of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The man, Kevin Hewlett, was found guilty in October and was sentenced on Friday, June 25.

Hewlett was a farrier, according to court documents. He worked as a craftsman to trim and shoe the hooves of horses.

Authorities said Hewlett was hired to care for a girl's horses, and he later began communicating with the girl through text messages and social media.

In August 2018, Hewlett "recorded himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the minor in his bedroom," according to court documents. In January 2019, he then sent the recording to the girl.

The investigation into Hewlett was conducted by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task force. The case was brought to federal court as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice "to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse," according to a news release. The project began in May 2006, and focuses on locating, apprehending, and prosecuting people who sexually exploit children through the internet. The project also works to identify and rescue victims of sexual abuse.

"The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for physical sexual contact is well-known and serious," the project's website says. "The danger of perpetrators who produce, distribute and possess child pornography is equally dramatic and disturbing."

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Resources are available for people who are victims of sexual exploitation and violence. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation hosts an array of resources for victims and their families on their website.

A hotline for child victims can be reached at 1-800-25ABUSE. Further resources can be obtained from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.