Wayland gets jail time in child pornography case
A somber 23-year-old Zackariah Wayland pleaded guilty in Rappahannock County Circuit Court Monday (March 14) to three felony charges of possessing or reproducing child pornography. As Judge Herman A. Whisenant read the sentencing recommendations from the plea agreement reached with Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff, Wayland’s mother wept quietly in the gallery.
For the first charge, said Whisenant, the sentence was five years in the penitentiary, all suspended; for the second charge, 10 years in the penitentiary, all suspended; the third carries 20 years, with 15 years suspended.
In addition, continued the judge, Wayland was to have no contact with minor females and can possess no pornography. Wayland gave up his Fourth Amendment right against search and seizure, meaning authorities can search him at any time. He must provide computer and online site passcodes and se-
curity codes to his probation officer and submit to periodic drug or psychological testing. He will be subject to supervised probation for five years and unsupervised probation for an additional ten.
Sentencing is due to become final on June 16 after the court has reviewed its requested pre-sentencing report.
In reviewing the charges, Goff told the court that in July 2015, Rappahannock Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Walters found three pictures stored on electronic devices in Wayland’s possession. The pictures were verified by the Internet Crimes Against Children da- tabase to be of “young females well under the age of 18,” according to Walters’ criminal complaint, and most likely under the age of 16. Nearly 80,000 pornographic images were found on Wayland’s cell phone and thumb drives.
In fact, said Goff, many images were found to be of children under the age of 13; others were of children between the ages of 14 and 18. “At the time of his arrest, “said Goff, “Mr. Wayland told Deputy Walters that he has a pornography and marijuana addiction.”
At the end of the proceeding, Wayland, looking younger than his years in a too-large suit jacket, quietly, politely answered the judge’s questions. Then he and his mother left the courtroom.