Former Buckhannon mayor charged with child pornography | News, sports, jobs

McCauley

CLARKSBURG — A former Buckhannon mayor and current City Council member was charged and arrested on child pornography charges Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

David Walter McCauley, 66, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

McCauley, who served as mayor of Buckhannon from 2016 to 2020, is currently serving a four-year term on the Buckhannon City Council, a position he was elected to in 2022.

The indictment alleges that McCauley enticed a 17-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct for photo and video production and that McCauley knowingly possessed illegal images on his computer.

“As alleged, David McCauley produced child pornography on multiple occasions involving an underage boy.” Ihlenfeld said in a press release. “Those who exploit and exploit our youth will be held accountable, regardless of their status in the community.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

McCauley faces at least 15 and up to 30 years in prison on each production charge and up to 10 years on the possession charge. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.

On September 30, 2022, FBI agents and representatives from the Pittsburgh Police Department and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search of McCauley’s home. It was reported at the time that the FBI had taken items from the home.

The City of Buckhannon posted a statement on the issue on its Facebook page Wednesday.

“The City of Buckhannon is aware that Councilman David W. McCauley has been indicted by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges.” The post read. “The city fully supports the justice system and respects the commitment of the federal grand jury system. Mr. McCauley was elected to the City Council in 2022 for a four-year term. At this time, the city has no further comment on this matter.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the case was filed as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched by the Justice Department in May 2006.

Led by U.S. law firms and business leaders, Project Safe Childhood provides federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children over the Internet, as well as to identify victims and to save.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice.gov/PSC.