A 42-year-old Lexington Park man has been arrested on federal charges alleging the production of child sexual abuse material and the transfer of obscene material to a minor, according to federal court records.
Donald Bernard Mewhort Sr. was taken into custody and appeared February 5, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland after an arrest warrant was issued in the Northern District of Alabama
A criminal complaint filed February 3, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama, alleges that between January 5 and January 15, 2026, in Limestone County, Mewhort committed:
- Production of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e)
- Transfer of obscene material to a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1470
The arrest warrant was signed the same day by U.S. Magistrate Judge Herman N. Johnson Jr.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, the investigation began after the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a 14-year-old girl who said she had been communicating on Snapchat with an adult male using the name “Jonathan Daily”
Snapchat generated CyberTips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on January 15, 2026, after identifying files categorized as possible child sexual exploitation material associated with the account
Investigators subpoenaed Verizon Wireless and Breezeline for subscriber information tied to IP addresses used to access the Snapchat accounts. According to the affidavit, those records allegedly traced back to Mewhort at a Maryland address
The affidavit further states investigators obtained Mewhort’s Maryland driver’s license and that the minor identified him from the photo during a forensic interview
Authorities allege that Mewhort directed the minor to create sexually explicit images and videos and discussed meeting her in person. Court documents state no in-person meeting ultimately occurred
Because Mewhort was located in Maryland, he was brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson in Baltimore for initial proceedings under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 5.
Court records show a Federal Public Defender was appointed to represent him
He was committed to the Northern District of Alabama for prosecution
The charges are currently outlined in a criminal complaint supported by an affidavit. A federal grand jury would typically need to return an indictment for the case to proceed to trial.
If convicted, the production of child pornography charge carries severe federal penalties, including lengthy mandatory minimum prison terms.
Mewhort remains in federal custody as of February 13, 2026.
