Man sentenced for child porn
Published 5:12 pm Saturday, August 12, 2017
According to Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson, a Selma man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Porter Belcher, 32, was arrested in February 2015 after nude pictures of a 15-year-old girl were discovered on his cell phone. Court documents show the girl’s mother brought Belcher’s cell phone to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department after she discovered nude pictures and videos of her daughter on the device.
A search warrant was then obtained, and the phone was sent off to forensics. During the investigation, it was discovered the photos were sent to Belcher by the 15-year-old girl through the Facebook Messenger app. The photos dated back to September 2014.
While the case was still under investigation, Belcher allegedly deleted his Facebook page and the messages “in an attempt to destroy evidence,” according to court documents.
Belcher was then charged with tampering with physical evidence.
Court records show Belcher has a criminal history that includes possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of burglar tools, criminal mischief and theft of property.
According to a previous Times-Journal report, Belcher was arrested alongside Matthew Boley in June 2012 for a string of thefts and destruction at area churches and schools.