Former Fayette County deputy found guilty of over 100 charges related to child pornography
Justin Bennett. (Fayette County Sheriff's Office photo)
A former Fayette County Sheriff’s deputy was found guilty of 124 child pornography-related charges following a jury trial in Fayette County Common Pleas Court this week, as announced by the Fayette County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to a press release from Prosecuting Attorney Jess Weade’s office, “Justin Bennett, 35, of Washington Court House was found guilty, at a jury trial, of 12 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, felonies of the second degree, and an additional 112 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, felonies of the fourth degree.
“After the jury verdict, the prosecution requested that that the defendant’s bond be revoked pending sentencing. The court revoked his bond, and he will be held without bond pending sentencing on July 23 at 9 a.m.
“[The Fayette County Prosecutor’s Office] will file a written sentencing memorandum before the hearing, at which time it will make a lengthy prison recommendation as the punishment for these offenses. The maximum sentence that the defendant can receive is 246-250 years, under Ohio’s indefinite sentencing law.”
As previously reported, Bennett was serving as a Fayette County Sheriff’s deputy at the time of his initial arrest in March 2025 and resigned “effective immediately.”
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said last March that the charges stemmed from a February 2025 alert by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of alleged criminal activity taking place at a residence in Fayette County, which was identified as Bennett’s residence.
“Sheriff Vernon Stanforth alerted Fayette County Prosecutor Jess Weade and also requested the assistance of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the criminal investigation,” the FCSO reported last year. “Upon learning of the allegations, Bennett was relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave by Sheriff Stanforth during the pendency of the criminal investigation by detectives from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.”
Following that investigation, Bennett was indicted on 100 counts in May 2025, then later indicted on the other 24 counts in February 2026, according to court records.