Richmond Police officer charged with possession of child pornography

LOUISA, Va. (WWBT) - A Richmond City Police officer is behind bars facing dozens of child pornography charges.

Officer David Stone, of Mineral, is currently being held without bond at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange, according to the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office.

Stone, 51, was arrested on Jan. 25 and is facing 50 child pornography charges. Lousia County issued a search warrant to Stone’s home on Nov. 5.

“After a lengthy investigation, investigators seized multiple digital media devices to be examined by the LCSO Forensics Unit,” the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Friday. “After the items were examined, they were found to contain a large number of files containing images of child sexual exploitation, with several of the images matching those reported in the cyber-tip.”

Louisa County Deputies tell NBC12 that a tip from the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led to Stone’s arrest.

“I’m not aware of any videos, and I’m not aware of any videos involving the individual that was arrested,” Louisa County detective and PIO Chuck Love said.

It’s unclear the ages of the children exploited or if they live in the area. If convicted of all charges, NBC12 legal expert Steve Benjamin said he could face life in prison.

“The fact that there are 50 warrants does not mean this offense is alleged to have happened on 50 separate times. Instead, it is more probable that the allegation is that there were 50 images -50 unlawful images -found on the devices that were seized,” Benjamin said.

Stone has been with the Richmond Police Department since Nov. 27, 2006, according to representatives from within the force.

Richmond Police has released a statement after Stone’s arrest:

Stone made an initial appearance before a Louisa County judge on Friday, requesting a court-appointed attorney.

As Louisa County deputies continue investigating, they urge parents to talk with the children.

“We are constantly running into cases where children are sending images that they are not supposed to be sending and parents [are] not being aware that they’re doing that,” Love said.

A preliminary hearing is set for Stone on Feb. 17.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office CID Unit at 540-967-1234 or anonymously at Louisa Crime Solvers at 800-346-1466.

Copyright 2023 WWBT. All rights reserved.