Kentucky man gets 20 years for child porn and bestiality charges
05/03/2023 1:20 pm PDT
KENTON COUNTY, Ky. (TCD) -- A judge sentenced a 27-year-old man this week to two decades behind bars after he pleaded guilty to multiple child pornography and bestiality charges.
According to the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, in July 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the Kenton County Police Department about three images of child sex abuse material that showed prepubescent girls. Officials learned the images were uploaded onto Tumblr and "reblogged" by Bennett Couch.
The Attorney’s Office said Couch uploaded additional images with "captions expressing a sexual interest in children and cartoon images depicting the violent sexual assaults of children." During a search of his account, officials also reportedly found media depicting bestiality.
According to the Attorney’s Office, investigators searched Couch’s cellphone and Snapchat account, where they found "photos and videos of Couch engaging in a sexual act with an animal" that belonged to his mother.
The Kenton County Police Department announced Aug. 25, 2021, that officers initially arrested Couch on three counts of distribution of matter portraying the sexual performance of a minor under 12 years old.
In November 2021, a Kenton County grand jury indicted Couch, and he pleaded guilty in February 2022 to three counts of possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, three counts of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, and one count of sexual crimes against an animal.
On May 1, Kenton Circuit Judge Kate Molloy sentenced Couch to the maximum of 20 years in prison, and he must register as a sex offender for life upon release.
Couch’s attorney reportedly "asked the Court for probation, arguing Couch had taken responsibility for the crime, felt great embarrassment, and had apologized 'to himself.'"
In a statement, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Emily Arnzen said, "When we have cases involving online child sexual exploitation or child sexual abuse material, we are always concerned that the offender may have personally perpetrated upon a child."
Arnzen continued, "In this case, we found out Couch started to act on these interests, except an animal was chosen instead of a child, but a child would likely have been next."
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