ARGYLE, Texas — A former Denton police officer has been sentenced to just over 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child porn, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said Thursday.
David Schoolcraft, 39, of Argyle, was distributing child pornography within a social media application between December 2020 and January 2021, according to court documents. The DOJ said an investigation revealed that Schoolcraft did this while serving as a police officer at the Denton Police Department, as well as at his home in Argyle.
In February 2021, federal agents served search warrants, where Schoolcraft admitted to using a social media application and his cellular phone to trade child pornography. He also admitted to possessing images and videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually-explicit conduct, including children who were bound and sexually-abused by adults, DOJ officials said.
Schoolcraft was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 10, 2021.
“Children are the most precious and vulnerable members of our society, and justice and basic human decency demands that we do everything in our power to protect them from harm,” U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston said in a release. “Schoolcraft violated his oath of office as a police officer and the trust of our community, and instead of protecting children he took pleasure in viewing children being sexually exploited and harmed. Although no sentence can make up for the pain he caused, this sentence should put everyone on notice that the Eastern District of Texas will not tolerate this behavior.”
DOJ officials said this case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the DOJ to "combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse."
“The details of this case are upsetting not only because it involves the distribution of material exploiting children, but also because the perpetrator was a police officer who was expected to serve and protect his community,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners consistently work together to hold child predators accountable for their actions. We are also steadfast in our commitment to protect children from individuals who seek to exploit their innocence.”
Schoolcraft pleaded guilty on Dec. 28, 2021 to a charge of possession of child pornography and was sentenced Thursday to 121 months – or 10 years, 1 month – in federal prison.
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