Man Convicted of Producing Child Pornography

Child abuse prosecutors with District Attorney General Charme P. Allen’s office secured a conviction today in a case where Robert Alexander Grisham, 47, produced child pornography by secretly recording a minor in a state of undress before and after showering. Assistant District Attorney Generals Ashley McDermott and Kit Rodgers argued the case to a Knox County jury who found Grisham guilty of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Observation without Consent, and Unlawful Photographing in Violation of Privacy. Upon conviction, Judge Scott Green revoked the Defendant’s bond and ordered him into custody.

In June 2014, Investigator Keith Johnson with the Knoxville Police Department Family Crimes Unit responded to a tip that Robert Grisham had used his cell phone to secretly record a minor in the bathroom. Grisham’s wife testified that she had found and deleted the video. Inv. Johnson took the phone to KPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force where forensic computer investigators were able to recover the deleted video.

General Allen stated,”These types of cases are very difficult for police and prosecutors because of the horrible subject matter involved. I’m sure it was just as difficult for the jury to view the evidence, and I thank them for their service. The community is safer with this perpetrator off the streets tonight.”

Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor is a Class B Felony that carries a punishment from between eight and twelve years in prison. Because of the nature of the crime, the Defendant must serve a minimum of eighty-five percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. The Defendant will be sentenced on June 25.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.