Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the indictment of a Dale County man for 60 counts of child sex crimes.
Jason Park, age 40, of Newton, was served notice of the indictments on June 26 at the Dale County Jail, where he was already incarcerated after being arrested previously on many of the same charges.
Marshall’s office presented evidence to a Dale County grand jury on June 17, resulting in Park’s indictment.
The state charged Park with 43 counts of possession of child pornography, 13 counts of production of child pornography and four counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old.
Since last November, Park has been arrested five times on a total of 40 charges. His bond was revoked Feb. 28, and he has been held in the Dale County Jail since that date. The indictment announced Monday includes both the 40 charges for which he was previously arrested and 20 additional charges.
If convicted, Parks could potentially face life in prison.
Possession of child pornography is a class C felony in Alabama, punishable by between one year and one day to 10 years imprisonment; however Park has 43 of these counts, so he could face that times 43.
Production of child pornography is a class A felony under state law, and, because the three victims were all younger than 12 years old, it is punishable by 20 to 99 years or life imprisonment. There are 13 counts so his sentence there could be multiplied by a factor of 13.
Sexual abuse of a child is a class B felony under Alabama law. Because the two victims were both less than 12 years old, it is punishable by 10 to 20 years for each of the four counts.
An indictment is merely an accusation. Park will get a chance to present his defense when the case comes to trial. Everyone, even Park, is presumed innocent until found guilty by a jury of his or her peers.
