Etowah County Man Sentenced for Possession of Obscene Materials Involving a Child
Etowah County- Gabe David Kittle, 71, of Peach Tree Road, Boaz, appeared before Judge Cody Robinson last week for sentencing on four (4) counts of Possession of Obscene Materials involving a child less than 17 years (child pornography). Kittle was arrested after the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children [ICAC] task force concerning potential child sex abuse materials being uploaded using an account linked to Kittle’s email address and telephone number. That information was used to obtain subpoenas for records, and obtain and execute search warrants for Kittle’s residence, email records, and electronic devices. The searches led to the discovery of multiple images of child pornography saved to his phone, and Kittle’s arrest in these cases. Kittle pled guilty to the charges on October 3, 2025, with no plea agreement reached between the parties.
At sentencing, the defense attorney contended that any sentence the Defendant was given should be diverted to a community-based supervision program, such as community corrections or probation, based upon Kittle’s age, lack of prior criminal background, and current health conditions. Deputy District Attorney Carol Griffith, who prosecuted the case, advised that in any criminal case, the particular facts and circumstances of the crime have to be considered in determining the sentence. In cases involving possession of child sex abuse materials, important factors include the number of images in a person’s possession, as well as the nature of those images.
Investigator Brandi Fuller of the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office testified that the images and videos found in Kittle’s possession contained images of small children involved in acts of bestiality (engaging in sexual conduct or sexual contact with an animal). Griffith argued that while all cases involving pornographic images of children are egregious, those described in this case were particularly horrific, and warranted a term of imprisonment in the state penitentiary. Judge Cody Robinson sentenced Kittle to ten (10) years in each count of the indictment; that sentence was split to serve three years in the state penitentiary, followed by five years of supervised probation. Kittle was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and all associated court costs. As a condition of his release to probation at the completion of the three years, Kittle will be prohibited from having unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 years of age, and having possession or use of any smartphones, internet or social media. In passing that sentence, Judge
Robinson stated: Mr. Kittle, by entering your plea of guilty, you have accepted responsibility for the crimes you committed. However, that does not absolve you of the damage caused by the crimes you committed. I’m afraid a lot of people think these types
if crimes are victimless, however, I could not disagree more. The minors depicted in these images will have to live with their existence for the rest of their lives. These images don’t just go away. They will always be accessible in some format. When defendants like yourself view these types of images, it encourages those criminals who produce them to continue to do so, leading to the exploitation and even trafficking of our children, some here in our very own communities. These are serious offenses that must be stopped. As I have said repeatedly from this bench, and will continue to do so as long as I am a judge in this county, our most sacred obligation as a legal system is to protect our children, especially from this type of exploitation. The Court hopes this sentence demonstrates that those who seek to exploit and victimize children in Etowah County will be punished to the maximum
extent allowed by law.
District Attorney Jody Willoughby expressed his appreciation to the Court for imposing a strict sentence in this case, and others like it. He said that the number of cases involving possession, dissemination and production of child sex abuse materials has increased exponentially in our county in recent years, and during that time, the images involved in those cases have become even more disturbing. Willoughby stated, “My office is dedicated to the prosecution of any person in our jurisdiction who possesses, distributes or produces images of child sex abuse materials. We will continue to seek maximum sentences for those convicted of
these unspeakable crimes.
