Crime & Safety

Carroll County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Children to Produce Porn

A Hampstead man pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child.

A Hampstead man pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child to produce child pornography. 

According to the plea agreement, police went to the home of Daniel Walter Blake, 33, to investigate a report they received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

The report stated that Blake was distributing child pornography involving pre-pubescent males.

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Blake told police that he did have child pornography and that he produced 27 images of child pornography in addition to three micro SD media cards believed to contain child pornography.

A forensic examination of Blake’s laptop reveled more than 1,000 images and over 500 video files of child pornography. 

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Blake also admitted to abusing children, including two boys he coerced into photographing.

He faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison.

As part of the plea, Blake acknowledged that the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office will recommend a sentence of 60 years in prison, concurrent to the federal sentence, with all but 40 years suspended, in connection with related state charges.

U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles Jr. has scheduled sentencing for May 31.


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