Hickory Man Gets Forty-Year Prison Sentence

A Hickory man was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for producing child pornography and sexually abusing three minors on Thursday.

Roland Vance Watson, 55, was sentenced on charges of producing child pornography and committing a felony involving a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to the charges last November.

The investigation began in January 2023, after law enforcement received information that Watson exchanged inappropriate text messages with a minor female. Between August 2021 and February 2023, Watson sexually abused three minor females on multiple occasions.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Hickory Police Department

In 1991, Watson was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in New Jersey.

Photo: Hickory Police Department