By: Yuritza Arroyo
Monmouth County authorities announced that a Freehold Township man was sentenced to eight years in state prison in connection with the 2017 possession and distribution of explicit images of minors.
According to officials, on Friday, January 13, James Simmons, 74, of Freehold Township, was sentenced to four years in a New Jersey State Prison on a third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Possession of explicit images of minors.
Officials say Simmons also received eight years on a second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Distribution of Explicit Images of Minors.
These two sentences will run concurrently. Upon release, Simmons faces mandatory Megan’s Law registration and Parole Supervision for Life.
According to authorities, Simmons was convicted of the charges on July 20, 2022.
A July 2017 investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, along with NJ Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Freehold Township Police Department, revealed that Simmons was found to be in possession of a USB thumb drive with over 100 videos depicting the sexual abuse of a child, along with peer-to-peer file sharing programs from equipment located at his residence on Harding Road in Freehold Township.