A Waco man who routinely babysat young children was sentenced Friday, March 27, 2026, to 960 months in federal prison after admitting he produced and possessed child sexual-abuse material. U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright ordered the terms to run consecutively, the equivalent of an 80-year sentence, and also ordered $207,000 in restitution. Prosecutors say the punishment reflects both the extensive recorded abuse and the deep breach of trust by someone parents relied on to watch their kids.
Court filings identify the defendant as 41-year-old Kevin Duane Pridemore. Investigators say he made at least 50 posts to a child-pornography website before agents executed a search warrant at his Waco home. A forensic review of digital media seized there reportedly uncovered an approximately 15-minute video in which Pridemore engaged in sexual activity with a fully nude girl between five and seven years old, along with additional videos and thousands of images. Prosecutors say roughly 23,728 images and 155 videos were found, and at least four known victims were recorded while he was babysitting them, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Records show Pridemore was first charged in an indictment filed April 8, 2025, and prosecutors later filed a superseding information on Nov. 24, 2025. He pleaded guilty the next day. The court imposed consecutive terms of 360 months on each production count and 240 months on the possession count, for a total of 960 months, and ordered restitution of $207,000, as posted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office on X.
Waco Babysitter to Spend Remainder of Life in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Young Children #ProjectSafeChildhood @FBISanAntonio https://t.co/JsSNFCPLw7
— U.S. Attorney WDTX (@usao_wdtx) March 27, 2026
“While nothing makes up for the harm caused by this defendant, the 80-year sentence handed down by Judge Albright highlights the egregious nature of the abuse in this case,” U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said, crediting the investigative team. The FBI’s acting special agent in charge in San Antonio called the case a “profound abuse of trust.” Prosecutors in Waco, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Gloff, brought the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which coordinates federal, state, and local efforts in child-exploitation prosecutions, according to the office’s announcement.
How investigators built the case
According to prosecutors and investigators, the case began when online monitoring flagged activity on a child-exploitation site. That tip led to a search warrant for Pridemore’s Waco residence and the seizure of digital media. Forensic examiners then combed through SD cards and other devices, identifying victims from the recordings and building a timeline that supported the federal charges and Pridemore’s eventual guilty plea.
Federal charges and penalties
Pridemore pleaded guilty to two production counts and one possession count involving child sexual-abuse material, offenses covered by federal laws that carry lengthy prison terms. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2251 and 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, production and possession of child pornography carry multi-year mandatory minimum sentences, with enhanced penalties in cases involving very young victims or prior qualifying convictions.
Resources for families
Families seeking help or needing to report suspected online exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST, which offers reporting tools and victim resources. Federal law-enforcement agencies and local victim-witness programs can also connect families with counseling, legal assistance, and help to limit further distribution of images.
