A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to 40 years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections following an investigation that began in 2023 and revealed his practice of posing as a teenager online to meet and sexually abuse underage girls.
Holden Brook Clayton entered a blind plea of guilt to charges of rape and possession of child pornography on January 3rd in Logan County.
During the sentencing hearing last week in the Logan County Courthouse, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Adams advocated for a 40-year sentence with the final 20 years suspended. In contrast, Clayton’s attorney, Lance Phillips, requested a 20-year sentence with 15 years suspended.
The initial investigation was triggered when the Yukon Police Department received a report of a 13-year-old girl who had run away from home in 2023. Law enforcement officers used the girl’s cellphone signal to locate her in a vehicle. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office subsequently became involved and reported that Clayton confessed to impersonating a teenager to arrange a meeting and engage in sexual intercourse with the girl.
Related article: Man jailed in Logan County on multiple first-degree rape charges
Further interviews with Clayton revealed that this ruse had enabled him to abuse three additional girls, aged 13 to 16, within the past year. Investigators also discovered child pornography on Clayton’s cellphone, including explicit videos and images of girls ranging in age from 8 to 16.
Court documents detailed that Clayton met the 13-year-old runaway through a social media application. After a family member tracked the girl’s phone to Yukon, police intercepted the vehicle she was in. Clayton admitted to investigators that he had met the girl online and had sexual intercourse with her before their return to Yukon. This alleged act reportedly occurred in Logan County.
The investigation further revealed Clayton’s admission to meeting three other girls, aged 13 to 16. He also confessed to possessing explicit photos and videos of minors aged 8 to 16.
Ultimately, in the Logan County Courthouse last week, Clayton received a 40-year sentence with the Department of Corrections for the rape charge, with the last 20 years suspended upon good behavior. For the possession of child pornography charge, he was sentenced to 20 years, with the final 10 years suspended. Both sentences will run concurrently. Upon his release, Clayton will be required to register as a sex offender.
During the hearing, Clayton’s attorney presented two witnesses who had previously counseled him. They testified to Clayton’s emotional immaturity, stating it was akin to that of a 14-year-old.
Before his sentencing, Clayton addressed the court by reading from a prepared statement, stating, in part, that he felt “terrible” for his actions.
Clayton is also scheduled to appear in a Comanche County courtroom in May for a potential sentencing related to a similar rape charge in that county.
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