PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A judge has determined that a Pike County woman is competent to stand trial in her long-delayed child pornography case.

Pamela Denise Sargent, 44, of Kimper, was indicted on a federal charge of production of child porn in July of 2024.

The case began with a child porn investigation in Missouri, where a Park Hills man was arrested for possessing and promoting child porn and sexual exploitation of a minor. The man told police he had received sexually-explicit videos from a Kentucky woman and her daughter, who he believed to be 18.

Police found the videos, as well as the emails which contained them. That allowed them to trace the videos back to Sargent.

Court records describe two of the videos, which allegedly show Sargent engaging in sexual acts with two children, believed to be between the ages of 3 and 5.

Her attorney asked for a competency evaluation and hearing, saying he had concerns she could not understand the gravity of her case or assist in her own defense.

During a hearing on Friday, both the defense and prosecution presented psychiatric experts who testified about Sargent’s mental health. After considering both sides, U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell ruled that Sargent is competent to stand trial, which she set for Feb. 2. The trial is expected to last three days.