Office of the State's Attorney

Worcester County, Maryland

DARRELL RICHARDSON SENTENCED FOR DISTRIBUTION

On December 11, 2019, Darrell Richardson, age 60, of Pocomoke City, Maryland, was sentenced to a total of 30 years’ incarceration with all but 20 years suspended for convictions on 3 counts of distribution of child pornography by the Honorable Beau H. Oglesby in the Worcester County Circuit Court. Upon his release, Richardson will be on 5 years of supervised probation and is required to register as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years.

The charges stem from a cyber tip received by the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation from the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce in February 2019. The cyber tip involved child pornography videos which were traced by investigators to an IP address used by Darrell Richardson. Investigators obtained a search and seizure warrant for Richardson’s electronic devices and discovered that he had distributed pornographic images and videos involving children via email to other online users.

Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser commended the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation and Detective Corporal Herrman of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation, and thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Karen Dean who prosecuted the case. Heiser stated "Law enforcement in Worcester County remain a constant online presence to pursue offenders participating in internet crimes against children, and my office will continue to work diligently to hold them accountable. Our prosecutors and police deserve recognition for these results, as these types of cases are very difficult and require a high level of specialization. We are fortunate to have such a strong and capable team.