Savoy sex offender sentenced to 25 years for child pornography, failure to register | #childpredator | #kidsaftey | #childsaftey

BONHAM, Texas (KXII) — A Savoy man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography and failure to maintain a duty to register as a sex offender.

Jonathan Lee Thomas, 50, entered the plea before Judge Christina Tillett of the 336th District Court.

Investigation

The case began April 12, 2025, when Savoy Police responded to a report from a parent about a Facebook message sent to her child. Officers reviewed the message and contacted the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office after determining the sender, Thomas, was a registered sex offender.

The Sheriff’s Office investigation found Thomas had failed to report changes to his employment and the creation of a social media account within the required seven-day window. Savoy Police and the Sheriff’s Office then requested Texas Ranger assistance to investigate the messages sent to the minor.

Admission and charges

Rangers interviewed Thomas, who said he had received images he believed to be child pornography and that those images would be on his personal device. Rangers seized the phone and obtained a search warrant. The download confirmed the presence of child pornography, and Thomas was subsequently indicted on the possession charge.

Prior convictions

The Fannin County Criminal District Attorney’s Office determined during further investigation that Thomas had a prior conviction for failure to maintain sex offender registration requirements, as well as other felony offenses. Prosecutors said Thomas had also previously been convicted of indecency with a child and served prison time for that offense.

“This defendant was previously convicted of being indecent with a child and served prison time for that offense. After being in prison, he again was convicted for failing to maintain his sex offender registration requirements. The defendant’s behavior dictates that he should be held in prison for a long period of time because he is a danger to the young people in our community,” Assistant Criminal District Attorney Vanessa Vice said.

First Assistant District Attorney Nathan Young said, “Repeat offenders, particularly those of violent crime and cases where children or the elderly are put in the crosshairs, deserve lengthy sentences that remove them as a threat to us. Two and a half decades in this case achieves that goal.”