Two Zanesville men will each spend the next 20 years in prison after admitting guilt in a child sexual abuse material case that began with a single online tip. Richard Skaggs, 35, and Dairyen Morgan, 29, appeared before Muskingum County Common Pleas Court Judge Gerald Anderson, who handed down matching sentences after both men admitted their guilt through bills of information.
According to a release from the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office, Judge Anderson sentenced each man to 20 years in prison. The case moved through court on September 23, when both men entered their admissions before the same judge. As reported by WHIZ, Skaggs and Morgan were arrested on September 17 after search warrants were executed at their Zanesville homes.
How a Tip Unraveled the Case
The prosecutor's office says the investigation began in August after Zanesville Police Commander Phil Michel received a tip through the Internet Crimes Against Children system. That lead ultimately pointed investigators toward both men's homes and devices. Investigators recovered more than 100 images and videos of child sexual abuse material during the course of the investigation, per the same office.
A search warrant for Skaggs's Kik account uncovered messages between Skaggs and Morgan discussing the sexual abuse of children, the prosecutor's office says. Investigators also recovered an SD card containing child sexual abuse material from Morgan's bedroom. As part of the case resolution, Skaggs forfeited nearly 40 firearms found in his possession.
Registration and Future Requirements
Both men will be required to register as sex offenders if they are released from prison, according to the prosecutor's office. Ohio law, under Section 2907.322 of the Ohio Revised Code, identifies conduct such as creating, recording, photographing, filming, developing, reproducing, or publishing material showing a minor or impaired person engaging in sexual conduct.
Part of a Pattern in Muskingum County
This case follows a similar prosecution earlier this year involving 64-year-old Norman Charles Scheffler, also of Zanesville, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison after detectives caught him viewing child sexual abuse material on his laptop, as previously reported by Hoodline. Scheffler pleaded guilty to 21 felonies, including 20 counts of second-degree pandering obscenity involving a minor, and Judge Gerald Anderson II imposed that sentence after Scheffler pleaded guilty without a plea agreement.
The Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office has said that 100% of child sexual abuse material cases prosecuted in the county result in prison sentences, compared with a statewide average of 72%. The figure underscores how consistently local prosecutors have pursued maximum accountability in these cases, though the office's methodology behind those numbers has not been independently verified.
