A former Franklin County deputy that is charged with child exploitation will plead guilty, according to his attorney.
Derek Walton, 31, of Liberty was arrested after agents searched his home last August. Agents said they located electronic evidence including thumb drive hidden behind a mirror and a video camera during the raid along with sexually explicit photographs of a minor female.
Walton was out of town and in the Chicago area when authorities searched his Liberty home, according to Franklin County Sheriff Ken Murphy. The sheriff called Walton and asked him to turn himself in at the nearest FBI Office, which Walton obliged. He was also fired from the sheriffs department at that time.
He has been lodged at the Marion County Jail since his August arrest.
During the investigation it was also revealed that Walton allegedly exchanged emails containing explicit photographs with another offender. One email account was even accessed from the Franklin County Security Center, according to investigators.
According to multiple sources, his attorney says the former reserve deputy will plead guilty to two counts of child exploitation.
If Walton is convicted, he will face a 15 to 60 years in federal prison.
The former reserve deputy was with the Franklin County Sheriffs Department since 2004 and was a former employee of the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
