A Palmer man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to produce child sexual abuse materials. Jesse Damon, 35, was found guilty of hiding a cell phone with an external battery pack behind a vent in the family bathroom of a supermarket in Palmer, Alaska. The intent was to create child pornography.
The discovery came when a supermarket employee noticed the vent cover was loose and found the hidden phone. Upon opening the video recording application on the device, employees saw footage of Damon inadvertently recording himself while concealing the phone. Store surveillance cameras captured Damon as he attempted to retrieve the hidden phone, prompting employees to alert law enforcement.
Authorities issued a search warrant for Damon's electronic devices and discovered that he had secretly recorded several individuals between May 21-24, 2022. Among those recorded were two children under the age of 12. Further investigation revealed that Damon had received and distributed images depicting child sexual abuse through digital applications such as Kik, Dropbox, and Mega Link.
At the time of his arrest, Damon was already under supervision following a previous conviction for possession of child pornography.
During sentencing, the court acknowledged the courage of victims involved and noted Damon's continued threat to public safety due to his repeated offenses. "Mr. Damon is a repeat offender who presented an escalating danger to our community," stated U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska.
The case was investigated by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and Palmer Police Department with support from the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Alexander prosecuted.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources.