CLEARFIELD – A former Clearfield woman pleaded guilty for her part in the sexual assault of a toddler Tuesday during a special sentencing court session.
Amanda Nichelle Downs, 31, and her co-defendant, Jackson Curtis Martin III, 47, were investigated after Facebook executives reported a photo of a “lascivious exhibition” was sent from Downs’s account to Martin’s account on Nov. 18, 2018.
When a search warrant was served on their Clearfield Borough residence, police reportedly discovered drug paraphernalia, sexual devices and toys and a firearm.
They seized several electronic devices that reportedly contained numerous items of child pornography that included images of Martin having sexual contact with the child.
Conversations found by investigators reportedly mention Martin having sex with a 9-year-old and a 4-year-old.
During one of the disturbing conversations between Martin and Downs contained within the criminal complaint, Martin refers to drugging a girl so he could “play with her in all kind of naughty ways as u help and watch and video everything.”
Because of the amount of child pornography, those charges were transferred to federal investigators, but the actual assault charges stayed in Clearfield County, according to District Attorney Ryan Sayers.
In November, Downs pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of producing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a previous article. She was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
On Tuesday, she pleaded guilty to felony counts of criminal conspiracy/rape of a child, criminal conspiracy/statutory sexual assault, criminal conspiracy/ aggravated indecent assault and endangering the welfare of others, Sayers said.
The victim’s grandmother addressed the court, saying how sad the situation was and the child is still having issues because of these crimes, according to Sayers, who added that she became quite emotional as she spoke.
Sayers commented to Judge Paul Cherry that this was a heinous crime, questioning how someone could do this to a family member. He said Cherry agreed before sentencing her to serve a concurrent period of 15 to 67 years in state prison.
Sayers explained that after she serves the 25 years in federal prison, she will be taken to a state prison where, because she will have already served the minimum on her state sentence, will have to face a parole board before she could be released.
“It is reprehensible to think a mother would subject her child to these types of actions,” Sayers said in a phone interview. “I hope the child will be able to move past this with the help of family, friends and counseling.”
Martin was also scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, but due to problems connecting with his prison through the county video conference system, the case was continued for a month, Sayers said.
Martin’s federal sentence is 35 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release.
