Pender County man sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing child pornography

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Rocky Point man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release.

Thomas Frank Andrews, Jr., 39, was convicted of producing child pornography between April and October of 2020.

Andrews was also ordered to pay a total of $36,000 in restitution to multiple victims and will be required to register as a sex offender.

In February 2020, Andrews traveled to Vance County to have sex with a minor female he had met and groomed through social media. The minor victim reported asking Andrews to stop but he did not, and a family member caught Andrews in bed with the minor. The Vance County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) investigated, and Andrews was charged with Second Degree Forcible Rape.

During the investigation, the VCSO received reports that Andrews, a Pender County resident, was also sexually assaulting another minor female victim who was only 13 years-old at the time. On October 22, 2020, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) arrested Andrews on the outstanding Vance County warrant and seized his phone. A search warrant found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the phone.

The investigation also found that Andrews sexually assaulted yet another minor female victim, who was just 11 years-old at the time of his arrest. Later, investigators were able to confirm that one of the CSAM videos found on Andrews’ devices depicted the same minor victim, but was recorded over a year ago, when she was only 10 years-old.

A review of the electronic evidence revealed that Andrews had engaged in overtly sexual online communications with numerous other young females, including minors. Several explicitly disclosed their age / minor status, while Andrews often lied about his own age, claiming he was 18. Andrews regularly attempted to convince the young females to meet him for sex or send him sexually explicit images or videos, and some did. Additionally, the forensic review of Andrews’ electronic devices found a voluminous collection of thousands of CSAM images and videos, as well as search history which confirmed that Andrews actively sought out CSAM.