Virginia Beach man in jail for distributing child abuse material

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach man is now in prison for distributing child abuse material.

Dustin Roy Harrell, 39, was sentenced today to seven years in prison.

Court documents allege that Harrell downloaded sexual content of a newborn baby through a private communications app last October.

Authorities found nearly 300 images and videos of child sexual abuse on three of Harrell’s devices.

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The case against Harrell is made possible by Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the rise in child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“Project Safe Childhood is led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and leverages federal, state, and local resources to better identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims,” ​​the release said.