Area man convicted, linked to 300 images of child pornography

Published 1:25 pm Wednesday, September 13, 2023

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Law enforcement officers conducted a consensual search at Dereck Wayne Winstead’s home in Bridge City on March 30, 2022.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Texas, investigators located four electronic devices, including a custom-built gaming computer.

“A search of the custom-built gaming computer by a computer forensic analyst revealed over 300 images of child pornography, including images of children under the age of 12,” a U.S. Attorney’s Office release stated.

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The search followed two National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tips, from 2020, with information that an individual in Orange County had been accessing and possessing images of child pornography.

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old Winstead was found guilty by a jury of possession of child pornography following a trial before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.

U.S. Probation Office presentence investigation now takes places before a sentencing hearing is scheduled.

Winstead faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing under federal statutes.

The Homeland Security Investigations Beaumont Resident Agency investigated this case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Grove and Jonathan Lee prosecuted.