ST. GEORGE — In unrelated but similar cases two months apart, two Beaver County residents have been arrested and jailed on child pornography charges.
The more recent arrest, which took place Wednesday, involves a 26-year-old Beaver woman who allegedly filmed herself sexually abusing a 2-year-old girl and shared the videos with at least one other person via social media.
Authorities arrested Mary Jean Royce at her residence after executing a search warrant. Royce was booked into the Beaver County Jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and at least four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
According to information documents filed in support of the search warrant and arrest, the videos were allegedly created between September 2019 and March 2020 and distributed via Royce’s Facebook account.
During the March 25 search of Royce’s residence, investigators reportedly found on her cell phone more than 50 images and or videos depicting child pornography, according to the affidavit, which was filed by Special Agent Sete Aulai of the Utah Attorney General’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Royce reportedly admitted to sexually abusing the girl “and filming it to send to the other user through Facebook,” the affidavit states.
Royce, who is being held without bail in the Beaver County Jail, made her initial court appearance electronically on Friday before 5th District Court Judge Keith C. Barnes. Her next scheduled court event is a roll call on April 6.
Beaver man focus of separate child porn investigation
In a similar but unrelated case in the same county, a 24-year-old Beaver man suspected of being involved with child pornography has been in jail since January.
Nathaniel Tyler Adams stands accused of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
Adams was arrested at his home Jan. 16 after investigators reportedly found explicit messages in an online chat that mentioned sexually abusing a minor child, along with images of child pornography on an Instagram account belonging to Adams.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of his arrest, Adams “admitted to being the suspect user in the reported chat and admitted to being the owner of the Instagram account.”
Additionally, the statement said, “Nathaniel Adams admitted to possessing and uploading the child pornography discovered in his Instagram.”
A laptop, cellphone and iPad were seized by authorities during the investigation, the affidavit said.
Adams remains in the Beaver County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. Although he initially pleaded not guilty to all of the charges on Feb. 6, a change of plea hearing has been scheduled for April 6 before 5th District Court Judge Keith C. Barnes.
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