RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond Police officer is on leave without pay after he was arrested this week and charged with dozens of counts of possession of child pornography.
A lengthy investigation conducted by the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office led detectives to obtain a search warrant for a home on Old Apple Grove Road in Louisa. During the search, multiple digital media devices were seized and were later confirmed to contain “a large number of files containing images of child sexual exploitation,” the Louisa Sheriff’s Office said. Several charges were then issued for possession of the pornography.
Members of the Richmond Police Department arrested a fellow Richmond officer, 51-year-old David Edward Stone, of the Town of Mineral, in connection to the charges on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Stone was later turned over to Louisa deputies.
According to court documents, Stone faces 50 counts of possession of child pornography in Louisa Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. His offense date for all counts is listed as Nov. 5, 2022. The charges include one count of possession of child pornography and 49 counts of possession of child pornography for the subsequent findings.
Stone is currently on administrative leave without pay. Prior to his arrest, he had been with the Richmond Police Department since Nov. 27, 2006.
“The Richmond Police Department does not tolerate the abuse of children in any form and this officer will be held accountable for his actions,” the department said in a statement.
Court documents show Stone is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office CID Unit at 540-967-1234 or anonymously at Louisa Crime Solvers at 800-346-1466.
*Correction Note: This story has been updated to reflect the transfer of 50 charges from Louisa County General District Court to Louisa County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, which was at one point reflected as 100 entries in the Virginia Judiciary Online Case database.
