Bandera Man Arrested on Child Pornography Charge

BANDERA, TX—Yesterday, May 22, 2019, members of the San Antonio Child Exploitation Task Force (SACETF) arrested a 62-year-old Bandera, Texas man on a federal production of child pornography charge, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash; FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division; and Bandera County Sheriff Dan Butts.

The investigation began in early January, when the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into the activities of Michael Dewayne Sheeds. After discovering Sheeds had allegedly sexually assaulted an underage female, the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant charging Sheeds with sexual assault of a child. Sheeds was located in Laredo, and arrested by Webb County Sheriff’s Office deputies on January 7, 2019, and has remained in the Bandera County Jail on the state charge.

In the course of the investigation, deputies obtained a Texas state search warrant for the defendant’s vehicle, discovered several mobile devices and sought the FBI’s assistance in reviewing the digital evidence. According to the federal complaint, the FBI recovered child pornography on the defendant’s cell phone and arrested Sheeds yesterday, May 22, 2019, on the federal charge.

The complaint, which was unsealed today, May 23, 2019, charges Sheeds with production of child pornography, which carries a penalty of a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.