ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material involving his own child.
A judge on Thursday sentenced Timothy Houle, 34, to the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison.
According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, Houle was arrested in January after the agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit received a cyber tip and launched an investigation.
Prosecutors said the investigation uncovered child sexual abuse material involving Houle’s own young child. Houle later pleaded guilty to manufacturing child sexual abuse material.
Authorities said the child was immediately removed from Houle’s custody and protected from further abuse.
Following his sentencing, Houle was transferred to the New Mexico Corrections Department to begin serving his prison sentence.
In a statement, Attorney General Raúl Torrez thanked investigators and prosecutors involved in the case, saying their work helped protect the child and bring Houle to justice.
State officials say combating online child exploitation remains a priority for the Department of Justice and its Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
