Johnson County Man Sentenced in Federal Court on Child Porn Case

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

A Paintsville man has been sentenced in federal court to serve 25 years in prison in a child pornography case. On May 15, Chief U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning sentenced Henry J. Ritscher, 44, to serve 300 months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, on a charge of production of child pornography Friday, May 15.

Ritscher entered a guilty plea on a federal charge of producing child pornography in January after being arrested back in Sept. of 2025, when the girl discovered a video of herself showering and changing earlier that day.

Paintsville Police were contacted by a woman who said her daughter found nude photos and videos of herself. The girl told police she was frequently a guest at Ritscher’s home and had accompanied him to pick up pizza. While he went in the restaurant, she stayed in the car and found the video when she used his phone while waiting.

During the police interview, Ritscher messaged the girl’s mother, saying he was sorry.

Ritscher’s phone was seized after police obtained a search warrant for his home. That’s where officers say they also found several surveillance cameras hidden in a tote in the garage.

When questioned about the cameras, Ritscher said he dismantled and hid them because he realized police would be coming to talk to him.

According to the police report, Ritscher gave a full confession to police, saying he had been secretly recording the girl for about a year-and-a-half, for his own sexual fantasies and had no intentions of ever actually touching the girl.

Ritscher is currently being held in the Boyd County Detention Center in Ashland.