KC Reporter

Dylan Joseph Minor, 27, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole, as stated by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes. Minor's conviction stems from his guilty plea to producing child pornography on July 20, 2023.

According to sources, a detective from the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Oct. 14, 2022, leading to the identification of Minor as a suspect who had shared images and videos of suspected child pornography on the Kik application. Following a search warrant at Minor's residence on Oct. 17, 2022, he confessed to taking illicit photos of a child victim and exchanging them on the app. Subsequent analysis of his seized cell phones revealed a disturbing collection of thousands of images and over 100 videos depicting child pornography.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner handled the prosecution of this case, which was investigated by the Franklin County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

This incident falls under the jurisdiction of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative established by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The program coordinates efforts between federal, state, and local authorities to identify and prosecute individuals involved in such crimes, as well as to rescue victims.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood and Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.