Texas man arrested in Fairbanks for producing child pornography

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - A Texas man has been arrested in Fairbanks for producing child sexual exploitation material.

According to court documents from the United States Department of Justice, 38-year-old Thomas Owen Norvell persuaded a minor to record sexually explicit video on his cell phone.

Norvell was living in Texas at the time of the incident. The Live Oak Police Department in conjunction with the FBI San Antonio Division launched an investigation after a relative of the victim reported awareness of the abuse.

Norvell, who had moved to Fairbanks, was arrested on November 30, 2021, and later transferred to Austin to await sentencing. In October of 2022, Norvell plead guilty to the charge.

U.S. Attorney Jamie Esparza said in a press release, “it took a lot of courage for the victim in the case to speak up and for the relative to report the abuse taken place. I commended our law enforcement partners here in Texas and in Alaska for investigating and arresting this predator, leading to this lengthy case.”

On Thursday, Jan. 26, Norvell was sentenced in federal court in Austin, Texas to 15 years in prison with an additional 15 years of supervised release for producing child sexual exploitation materials.