Denton police officer gets 10 years after downloading child porn at work

DENTON, Texas - A former Denton police officer was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for the possession of child pornography.

David Schoolcraft was arrested last March and pleaded guilty to the crime in December. 

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Federal prosecutors said the 39-year-old officer was caught downloading and distributing child porn while at Denton police headquarters and at his home in Argyle, north of Fort Worth.

He later admitted to using a social media app on his cellphone to trade sexually explicit images and videos depicting minors, including some that contained children who were bound and sexually abused by adults, prosecutors said.

"Schoolcraft violated his oath of office as a police officer and the trust of our community, and instead of protecting children he took pleasure in viewing children being sexually exploited and harmed. Although no sentence can make up for the pain he caused, this sentence should put everyone on notice that the Eastern District of Texas will not tolerate this behavior," said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.

"The details of this case are upsetting not only because it involves the distribution of material exploiting children, but also because the perpetrator was a police officer who was expected to serve and protect his community," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno.

Schoolcraft was a Denton police officer for 15 years.

He was placed on leave after his arrest and later fired.