Washington man sentenced to 5 years on child pornography charges
SPOKANE, Wash. – A Walla Walla man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison followed by 10 years’ supervised release for attempting to receive child pornography, as a result of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Kevin Michael Dettmer, 34, first came to the attention of HSI when he responded to a personal ad posted by an undercover HSI special agent. According to court documents, Dettmer began soliciting images from individuals he believed to be 12 and 13-year-old children. Dettmer also provided graphic images of himself and an adult female who was purportedly 15 years old.
Court records indicate Dettmer eventually sought contact information for one of the fictitious children and proceeded to communicate directly with the “child” via email and text message.
“This case is a fine example of the great work that can be done when state and federal law enforcement officers work together,” said Michael C. Ormsby, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to those who think they are acting with immunity when using email and text messages to send or receive child pornography or attempting to do so; such criminals will be actively and aggressively pursued by federal and state law enforcement.”
Over a one-month period, Dettmer asked the child to take and send pornographic images using a phone or camera. He also encouraged the child to travel to Walla Walla to engage in sexual contact, offering her a phone and money upon arrival.
Dettmer was arrested in Walla Walla by HSI special agents when he arrived to meet the fictitious child.
“HSI special agents in the Tri-Cities worked round-the-clock to investigate the criminal behavior Dettmer displayed while trying to prey on children,” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “Our aggressive efforts with partner agencies to hold child predators accountable for their actions should be a strong deterrent to others.”
Dettmer pleaded guilty in May and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was conducted in cooperation with the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force composed of law enforcement officers from the Richland and Kennewick Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Laurel J. Holland, Assistance U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
The charges in this case are a product of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators.
Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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