FEDERAL CASE CAME FROM EVIDENCE FROM ORIGINAL ARREST FOR VOYEURISM VIDEO OF TEEN IN SEPTEMBER 2025
JANUARY 10, 2026 – written by WADE QUEEN
GUILTY PLEA CHILD PORN CREEP: SEBASTIAN M. JOY, 43, OF PAINTSVILLE, KENTUCKY.
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A Paintsville man has filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Ashland, Kentucky seeking to plead guilty in a child pornography case.
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In the motion filed on Thursday, January 8, Sebastian M. Joy, the attorney representing Henry Jonathan Ritscher, 43, of Lincoln Avenue, Paintsville. KY., wrote that Henry Ritscher wants to plead guilty in the case in which Ritscher currently faces charges of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
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The plea agreement in the case shows Henry Ritscher plans to plead guilty to the charge of production of child pornography, with the possession charge being dismissed as a part of the agreement.
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The production charge, according to court documents, carries a potential prison sentence of between 15 and 30 years, to be followed by a term of supervised release of five years to life. Further, as a part of the plea agreement, Henry Ritscher would be required to register as a sex offender.
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According to the arrest citation written by Paintsville Police Officer Justin Jackson, on September 6, 2025, Paintsville E-911 received a call from a woman reporting her juvenile daughter had located nude photographs and video recordings of herself taken without her knowledge.
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The materials, according to the arrest citation, showed the juvenile showering and changing clothes, and had been obtained by Henry Ritscher, the caller reported.
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Officer Justin Jackson wrote that, while the victim was being interviewed, the caller received a direct message from Henry Ritscher apologizing.
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During the course of the investigation, officer Jackson wrote, he and officers served a search warrant at Henry Ritscher’s residence and interviewed him.
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During the service of the search warrant, the arrest citation said, officers found several surveillance-style cameras, which Henry Ritscher admitted he had dismantled and hidden because he anticipated police would be arriving.
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When interviewed, Henry Ritscher admitted to installing hidden cameras inside the residence with the purpose of recording the child while she was in private settings, such as the bathroom and bedroom, officerJackson wrote.Further, the arrest citation said, Henry Ritscher admitted to collecting the videos and images for approximately one and a half years, using them, “solely to satisfy his own sexual fantasies.”
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Henry Ritscher, according to the arrest citation, confirmed to the police officers that he had intentionally concealed the cameras to avoid detection. Henry Ritscher is currently being held in the Boyd County Detention Center in Ashland.
