Former Correction Officer receives Sentence for storing Child Porn Material in Vermont
A Sheffield man has been sentenced to 10 years of probation for possessing child sexual abuse material. This conduct occurred while he was employed as a state corrections supervisor.
Benjamin Mallery, aged 32, admitted his guilt for the offense back in November. In March 2021, he confessed to possessing a collection of eight digital photographs depicting explicit images of a child. The images were stored in his Google Drive account, which were linked to two email addresses, including his state government email.
During the proceedings at Caledonia County Superior Court, Judge Michael Kainen handed down a sentence to Mallery. Mallery will serve 10 years of probation, with an underlying prison term of 18 months to five years suspended.
As part of Mallery’s plea deal with the state Attorney General’s Office, the judge also dropped the five other charges of possessing child sexual abuse material.
At first, Mallery’s plea deal with the state mandated him to spend 60 days in jail on consecutive weekends. Last week, Mallery and the prosecution informed the court of a revised agreement. This amendment was made after a presentence investigation revealed Mallery’s willingness to participate in treatment for sexual offenders and his low risk of committing a violent offense. The investigation also highlighted other mitigating factors.
During his sentencing, Mallery expressed remorse for his actions and acknowledged the lifelong repercussions he will face. He also offered an apology to the unidentified child victims portrayed in the illicit images.
In March 2022, Mallery was arrested while working at the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury. Court documents indicate that he held the position of shift supervisor.
The conditions of his probation require him to refrain from accessing explicit content online and limit his contact with minors under the age of 16 to only those approved by a chaperone. Failure to comply with the terms of his probation may lead to incarceration.
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