A Fairfield man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of production and manufacturing of child pornography, according to a press release from the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office.
Roger Wade Arter, 20, was sentenced in Rockbridge County Circuit Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty in February to one count of possession of child pornography, seven counts of possession of child pornography (second or subsequent offense), three counts of production of child pornography and one count of carnal knowledge of a child between the ages of 13 and 14. He received a suspended sentence of 12 months for the first count of possession of child pornography and a sentence of 10 years for the seven subsequent counts, of which nine was suspended and will be served concurrently. For one count of production of child pornography, Arter was sentenced to 10 years with seven years suspended and he was sentenced to 10 years with eight suspended for the other two counts, which will be served concurrently with each other, but consecutive to the other sentences. Finally, he was sentenced to 10 years, with eight suspended for the carnal knowledge charge.
In total, he received a sentence of 40 years with 32 years suspended, leaving eight years of active incarceration. Upon release, Arter will be placed on supervised probation for five years, maintain good behavior for 20 years, and register as a sex offender for life. Two additional counts of carnal knowledge of a 13-14 year old and three counts of indecent liberties with a child under 15 were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
The case was initiated in August of 2024 by a complaint from a parent regarding the whereabouts of their 14-year-old child. Deputies were able to locate the child, but “circumstances surrounding the case raised concerns, prompting the initiation of a separate investigation.” That investigation, according to the press release revealed that Arter, who was 19 at the time, had been “involved in a sexual relationship with the 14-year-old victim” and that he had engaged in “illegal sexual acts and produced and possessed explicit images and videos of the minor.” As a result he was arrested and charged.
“I want to thank our deputies for the work they put into this case,” Rockbridge County Sheriff Tony McFaddin said in the press release. “These investigations are difficult, and they stayed focused and built a strong case from start to finish. What happened to this child was serious, and our deputies treated it that way from the beginning through the final outcome.
“Let me be clear,” he continued. “Those who exploit children will be pursued, investigated thoroughly, and brought before the court. This case demonstrates that when a child is targeted, we will build the case and make sure the offender answers for it in court. We are not going to look the other way, and we are not going to back down from cases like this.”
