District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley sentenced Deyo, a volunteer at a local church where he played the role of Noodles The Clown to entertain young children, to 17 ½ years in federal prison for possessing and creating child pornography, and child molestation.
According to reports, the Assistant U.S. Attorney had been gunning for the longest possible term for Deyo based on his method of operation around juveniles.
Deyo's arrest was the result of "Operation Candyman," a child porn task force. Authorities reported that Deyo had more than 100 pornographic images of underage girls on his hard drive.
Deyo's 210-month prison term will be followed by three years of "strict" probation, the judge ruled, and will not allow Deyo to come into contact with young girls. He will also be required to undergo mental health treatment for sexual offenders, according to The Palm Beach Post
Charges against Deyo stem from a period in October 2003 during which he befriended several single mothers, convinced them that he was a responsible babysitter, and then while alone with the young child, who's ages ranged from eight to ten-years-old, took inappropriate photographs and allegedly molested one of the girls in his care.
The camera Deyo used to take pictures of the young girls was borrowed from the church where he volunteered.
Deyo, a father of two children, pleaded guilty to all charges, according to reports.
According to The Palm Beach Post, Judge Hurley called Deyo "the most dangerous kind of pedophile because of the surrogate father role he took with the vulnerable girls."
