Texarkana Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Child Exploitation

Caleb Layne Crawford, a 26-year-old man from Texarkana, Texas, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for child exploitation violations. The sentencing was announced by U. S.

Attorney Jay R. Combs and took place on October 13, 2026, in the Eastern District of Texas.

Crawford pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography and was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison by U. S. District Judge Robert W.

Schroeder III. The charges stemmed from an investigation that began in December 2024, when law enforcement authorities received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip reported the upload of several images of child pornography from an account associated with Crawford.

According to information presented in court, Crawford used his cell phone to produce sexually explicit photos of a child victim. He then distributed these images to individuals via a social media application.

Project Safe Childhood

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The project aims to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse by marshaling federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. It also seeks to identify and rescue victims.

The investigation into Crawford's activities was conducted by the Department of Army Criminal Investigations Division, the Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division, and the Texarkana, Texas Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Richards.

Crawford's sentencing underscores the ongoing efforts of Project Safe Childhood to address and mitigate the impact of child sexual exploitation. The initiative continues to work towards protecting children and bringing offenders to justice.