FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 8, 2014
Contact: Heather F. Williamson
Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
20 East Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176-2809
(703) 777-0242
FORMER LOUDOUN COUNTY TEACHER SENTENCED FOR FIFTY COUNTS OF
POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
LEESBURG, Virginia – August 8, 2014. Ralph Watts Conrad, 43, appeared before Judge Stephen E. Sincavage in Loudoun County Circuit Court for sentencing on fifty felony charges of Possession of Child Pornography. Sincavage imposed a total active sentence of thirteen years in the Virginia Department of Corrections.
In August 2013, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a Special Agent working in an undercover capacity for Homeland Security Investigations. The Special Agent advised that during the course of a national investigation intended to target individuals in the United States who were using a Russian website as a means to receive, distribute, advertise, possess, and/or access with the intent to view child pornography, she had identified a user living in Loudoun County. This user was later determined to be Conrad. Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Detectives subsequently executed a search warrant at Conrad’s home in Hamilton, Virginia. Detectives seized cameras, thumb drives, hard drives, two computers, and various other electronic devices.
Forensic examination of Conrad’s laptop revealed 528 videos of child pornography, as well as 2,735 images that contained child pornography. Notably, the child pornography located on the computer involved extremely young children, some as young as two or three.
“Thankfully, there is no evidence that any of the images or videos were manufactured in Loudoun County, nor is there any indication that any local children were victimized,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman.
Conrad pleaded guilty to fifty counts of Possession of Child Pornography on April 11, 2014.
“The Court rejects the suggestion that this is a victimless crime,” said Judge Sincavage. “Child subjects are victimized every time someone looks at or views the videos and images,” continued Sincavage.
Conrad received an additional 37 years of suspended time. Upon his release, he will be placed on 20 years of supervised probation and he is prohibited from any unsupervised contact with minors, must remain more than 100 feet from any school, and successfully complete a sex offender treatment program.
Pursuant to Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act, Conrad will also be required to register as a sex offender. Information about the Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry and those on it can be found on the Virginia State Police website: http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov.
######