Southeast Texas man — former police chief and mayor pro tempore — pleads guilty to child pornography charges

HOUSTON — A Southeast Texas man — who formerly served as police chief in Martinsville, West Virginia, and Seabrook, Texas, mayor pro tempore and city councilman — pleaded guilty Thursday to receiving and possessing thousands of images and videos containing child pornography.

This investigation was conducted by members of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Texas police departments of Webster and Pearland.

Ocal John Miller, 68, pleaded guilty to the child pornography charges Oct. 3; he is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 12.  He faces five to 20 years for receiving child pornography, and up to 10 years for possessing child pornography, and a $250,000 fine. Miller must also register as a sex offender and abide by special conditions limiting his use of the internet and interactions with minors.

Miller came to the attention of law enforcement in June 2016 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) sent multiple cyber-tips to the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

This investigation revealed Miller was using Skype to receive and distribute child pornography images to others via the internet. Miller also used Dropbox and Kik Messenger to obtain and store child pornography.

Based on information gathered during the investigation, authorities executed a federal search warrant on March 30, 2017, for Miller’s home in Seabrook. At that time, they seized a computer, iPhone and several digital storage devices. Forensic examination discovered more than 1,300 images and 1,000 videos containing child pornography.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting this case.