Wichita Falls man convicted of child pornography crime, evidence tampering
A Wichita Falls man will serve prison time for promotion of child pornography and tampering with evidence, according to a media release from the 97th District Attorney's Office.
An Archer County jury found Eric Austin Mills guilty of one count of promotion of child pornography and one count of tampering with evidence on Friday, according to the 97th DA's Office.
Jurors handed down a sentence of 12 years and a $10,000 fine for the child pornography offense and two years in prison and a $10,000 fine for tampering.
"It has been a long time coming for justice for this family," 97th District Attorney Casey Hall said in the media release. "It took a lot of work and coordination with law enforcement to get to this point."
Hall said she and Assistant DA Judy Rosenberger prioritize crimes against children, and they will always work diligently to ensure justice is served for the victims.
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Mills, 40, was being held Sunday in the Archer County Jail, according to online jail records.
An obscenity charge against him involving an alleged secret recording made in Wichita Falls was previously dismissed.
Texas Rangers assisted the 97th DA's Office with an Archer County child pornography investigation in 2020, according to allegations in a complaint filed by a Texas Ranger.
A review of two seized cell phones turned up what appeared to be a secret recording of sexual activity in November 2019, according to allegations. A woman told the Texas Ranger she did not consent to the recording. Mills was arrested and charged with obscene promote/produce direct in August 2021.
The charge was dismissed Jan. 26, 2023, according to online Wichita County court records. No explanation for the dismissal was apparent in the file for the case.
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Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls man convicted for child pornography crime
