Content warning: This article contains references to child sexual abuse that some readers may find disturbing.
MURRAY – Three defendants facing felony charges involving the sexual abuse of minors appeared in Calloway District Court this week, placing several cases involving children under 12 before the court within a matter of days.
The court appearances come less than a month after Murray resident Jace Penner was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to 20 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
James Johnson, 32, of Murray, was arrested Tuesday and charged with four counts of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under 12, which are Class B felonies, punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison.*
According to the uniform citation, the investigation began after a cyber tip was reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and was conducted by the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crimes Branch as part of the Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a multi-agency initiative focused on investigating online child exploitation.
A search warrant executed at a Murray residence on March 10 led to the seizure of electronic devices believed to have been used to distribute the material. In a news release issued Thursday, KSP said that the investigation remains ongoing.
Johnson was arraigned Wednesday. Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens set bond at $25,000 cash. In addition to standard bond conditions, Johnson is prohibited from possessing devices capable of accessing the internet.
Before the end of the hearing, Hutchens asked Johnson about his application for representation from the Department of Public Advocacy (DPA), noting that, because his income exceeds the federal poverty line, he does not qualify.
Johnson advised the court that he does not know what his employment status will be if he is able to post bond because he works for an inventory company, and his job requires him to use a computer. Given the circumstances, Hutchens appointed DPA to represent Johnson.
Johnson’s next court appearance is Friday at 10:30 a.m. for his preliminary hearing.
Shortly after Johnson’s arraignment, a preliminary hearing was held in an unrelated case that also involves CSAM. In that case, another Murray man, 25-year-old Aidan Santos, who was arraigned last week, is charged with 10 counts of possession and 10 counts of distribution of CSAM, victim under 12.
Hutchens found probable cause to bind the case over to the grand jury, but Santos waived formal indictment, meaning the case will proceed to Calloway Circuit Court by information. Santos’ circuit court arraignment is scheduled for Monday, March 30, at 8:30 a.m.
But Johnson and Santos are only two of the three defendants appearing in Calloway District Court this week who face felony charges involving sexual abuse of minors.
Jarrett Collins, 44, of Princeton, was also arraigned in Calloway District Court this week. Collins appeared Tuesday via Zoom from the Caldwell County Jail, where he has been held since December 2023 on 20 counts of possession and 10 counts of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under age 12.
In February 2024, Collins was indicted in Marshall County on one count of first-degree sexual abuse, victim under 12, after a direct submission to the grand jury. That charge is based on alleged incidents that occurred between Christmas 2020 and New Year’s Day 2021.
The Caldwell County case is set for trial in June, and a trial in Marshall County is scheduled in July.
In Calloway County, Collins is facing charges of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sodomy, victim under 12. These charges stem from alleged incidents that took place between May and August 2023.
Court records show a total of four felony cases in Collins’ criminal history, all of which are related to the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12. The earliest case predates the Caldwell County charges by 10 years.
In July 2013, Collins was arrested in Tampa, Florida, and charged with one count of first-degree rape and two counts of sodomy, victim under 12, for alleged incidents that occurred in Hopkins County five days before his arrest, WFIE reported at the time.
According to court records, the first-degree rape charge was amended down to second-degree wanton endangerment, and the sodomy charges were dismissed. Collins was sentenced to 12 months in jail. Having already served 100 days in jail since his arrest, the remainder of his sentence was suspended, and he was placed on unsupervised probation for two years.
Like Johnson, Collins is scheduled to appear for his preliminary hearing in Calloway District Court on Friday at 10:30 a.m.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the potential punishment for Class B felonies in Kentucky. We apologize for the error. It has been corrected.
