Former Buckhannon Mayor David Walter McCauley was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography involving a 17-year-old boy.
McCauley, 66, entered his guilty plea in December to a single count of possession of child pornography. As part of a plea agreement, two more serious charges of production of child pornography were dropped.
According to court records, McCauley used his position to entice a minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating photos and videos.
Investigators recovered multiple electronic devices from his home and office containing illegal images and videos, including content depicting the minor in sexual acts with McCauley himself.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone detailed in a prior court order that McCauley not only groomed the teen but also encouraged him to delete evidence of their encounters.
“Credible evidence exists that Defendant advocated for the alleged victim to delete evidence,” Mazzone wrote, adding that McCauley had a 47-year age gap with the victim when the contact began.
McCauley, who served as Buckhannon’s mayor from 2016 to 2020, was a sitting city council member when he was arrested on October 2, 2024. He resigned from the city council six days later, on October 8.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Crockett and was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative started by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The investigation was carried out by the FBI, Pittsburgh Police Department, and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided over Thursday’s sentencing hearing. In addition to his 10-year prison term, McCauley will be placed under supervised release for another 10 years once his prison sentence ends.
Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts to find and prosecute those who use the internet to exploit children and to rescue victims from abuse.
McCauley’s conviction closes a troubling chapter for Buckhannon, as the community comes to terms with the disturbing actions of one of its former public leaders.
