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Rocky Ridge resident Dennis James Harrison, 40, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography, related to the sexual exploitation of two minors who were between the ages of 10 and 12 at the time of the abuse.
As part of his plea, Harrison admitted that between 2018 and 2021, he sexually exploited two minor girls beginning when the one victim was 12 years old and when another victim was between 10 and 11 years old, to produce child porn.
Specifically, from at least September 2020 through August 2021, Harrison engaged in sexual activity with a 12-year-old girl who resided in Pennsylvania, according to prosecutors.
Harrison picked up the child from her residence and drove her to various locations in Maryland, including Harrison’s home, where he engaged in illegal sexual activity with her.
Prosecutors said that Harrison produced pictures and video of his sexual abuse and enticed her to send him sexually explicit photos of herself.
Harrison also used a hidden camera and mobile phone in 2018 to produce and share images of his second underage victim, who was captured partially nude in a bedroom in Pennsylvania and a bathroom in Maryland without her consent.
On Aug. 12, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Harrison’s residence and recovered a cellphone used to film his sexual abuse of his first victim, as well as several digital devices.
An examination of all the devices located files depicting the sexual abuse of children on each one, including depictions of infants and toddlers.
In total, over 14,000 files of child pornography were found on Harrison’s devices.
Officials noted that on Aug. 12, 2009, Harrison was convicted of possession of child pornography related to the sexual abuse of a minor and was a registered sex offender at the time of his arrest in the federal case.
Harrison faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum of 50 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice.
Once he is released, Harrison will be required to continue registering as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student.
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