Former Disney Channel Star Stoney Westmoreland Gets 2 Years in Prison in Underage Sex Case

Six months after being charged with multi-felonies for allegedly trying to entice a 13-year-old boy into sex, Stoney Westmoreland struck a plea deal which will send him to prison for 24 months.

By Ashley Joy Parker Jun 05, 2022 9:23 PMTags
Stoney Westmoreland Rob Latour/BEI/Shutterstock

Content warning: This story discusses child pornography.

Stoney Westmoreland is headed to prison.

The former Disney Channel star was sentenced to two years behind bars and 10 years of supervised release after he was charged with trying to entice a a minor into sex, according to Utah district court documents obtained by E! News.

Westmoreland ended up striking a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of using interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor.

As part of the plea deal, the 52-year-old must cooperate with DNA collection and register as a sex offender, the docs state. Westmoreland's computer devices will also be subject to random search and inspection and he has to report all of the accounts he uses for electronic communications and storage, including email and social media. He is also restricted from contact with individuals who are under 18 years of age without adult supervision.

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Disney Channel Stars Then and Now

Westmoreland was arrested by the Salt Lake City Police Department and FBI Child Exploitation Task Force in December 2018 for allegedly trying to arrange to have sex with a person he believed was 13 years old.

On Christmas Eve, Utah prosecutors charged the actor with six felony counts for allegedly trying to have sex with the boy—one second degree felony count of enticing a minor by Internet or text, four three-degree felony counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor and one third degree felony count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. 

Watch: Josh Duggar SENTENCED in Child Pornography Case

According to charging documents, a Salt Lake County detective stated that on December 13 of that year, while working the Organized Crime Unit, he was contacted by Westmoreland through the dating app Grindr. He said the actor allegedly "began conversing with who he believed to be a 13-year-old male and asked if the male would come to his hotel room and engage in sexual activity." The detective also stated that during the chat, the actor allegedly sent sexually explicit photos.

Amid the fallout, a Disney Channel spokesperson confirmed to E! News that Westmoreland had been fired from its popular sitcom Andi Mack, where he played grandfather Henry "Ham" Mack, saying, "Given the nature of the charges and our responsibility for the welfare of employed minors, we have released him from his recurring role and he will not be returning to work on the series."

Over his nearly three decade career, Westmoreland also appeared on Gilmore GirlsAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Better Call Saul and Scandal.

 

According to the documents, Westmoreland must report to prison by July 19.

E News! has reached out to Westmoreland's lawyer for additional comment but has not heard back.

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