ROCKWALL, Texas — A Rockwall man was sentenced to 50 years in prison this week after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child pornography possession.
ROCKWALL, Texas — A Rockwall man was sentenced to 50 years in prison this week after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child pornography possession.
Stacey Christian Owens, 49, of Rockwall, was handed down the sentence by 382nd Judicial District Judge Brett Hall. Owens was arrested in July 2022 following a months-long investigation that began in February of the same year.
The investigation was initiated when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip-off from Google about child pornography detected in a Gmail account. The information was passed on to the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which linked the Gmail account to Owens and his residence on Valiant Drive.
During a search of Owens' home, officers seized electronics including a laptop and cell phone. Detective Philip Young of the Rockwall Police Department conducted a thorough search of the devices, uncovering over 14,000 files containing child pornography.
The files depicted real child abuse victims, including infants being sexually assaulted. Detective Young also discovered numerous messages in which Owens expressed his interest in having sex with children, bestiality, and other paraphilic behavior.
Owens has a previous criminal record, including sex and drug offenses. In 2002, he exposed himself to an undercover Dallas police officer and received probation for indecent exposure. In 2007, he was convicted of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) in Dallas County and also received probation.
"What Stacey Owens did in the darkness is now in the light," said Rockwall County Assistant District Attorney Justin Almand. "I'm thankful that our local law enforcement has the experience and expertise to solve these cyber crimes."
Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper expressed her shock at the egregious behavior happening within the community and hoped that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others.
