Texas Man Gets 60 Years In Prison For Sexually Abusing A Child In Hundreds Of Videos And Images; Admitted to Sadism and Bestiality

SAN ANGELO, TX – A man from Water Valley, Texas, was sentenced today to serve 60 years in prison for producing hundreds of videos and images of himself sexually abusing a child. 

Douglas Stephen Groover, 37, was sentenced after pleading guilty in February 2020 to two counts of production of child pornography. The sentence, which was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas, also included a lifetime term of supervised release and a restitution award of $53,000. 

According to court documents, in addition to the hundreds of videos and images he created of himself sexually abusing a minor, he also admitted to sexually abusing at least two additional minors. Groover also admitted to maintaining a large collection of child pornography, which included depictions of the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, sadism and bestiality.

The case was investigated by HSI’s San Angelo, Texas, office, and the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit within the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag prosecuted the case along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell H. Lorfing.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.