September 20, 11

NEWS / Manistee County Man Gets 24 Years for Producing Child Pornography

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today that Duane Scott Battice, 39, of Manistee County, was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for production of child pornography.

The conviction stems from a report made to the Michigan State Police that Battice had sexually assaulted two minors in the Manistee area. Battice was arrested for criminal sexual conduct, and a search warrant was executed at his residence. Agents located evidence of child pornography production on Battice’s seized computer and digital media. On November 23, 2010, Battice was named in a four-count indictment which charged two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography. On January 27, 2011, Battice pled guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell, who presided over the sentencing, expressed his intention to impose a sentence that protects the community and sends a message of deterrence to others.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation and to teach children how to protect themselves. More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at the following website: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Michigan State Police and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru. After being sentenced, Battice was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service for transportation to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

http://www.fbi.gov/detroit/press-releases/2011/manistee-county-man-gets-24-years-for-producing-child-pornography