Martin County man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child porn

A 47-year-old Martin County man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of sexually explicit material involving minors.

Ryan Watkins, of Loogootee, Indiana, was found in possession of more than 600 images depicting "minors under 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana.

Indiana State Police and the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Watkins was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young, who ordered him to serve 10 years in federal prison. Watkins will also be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years after his release from prison and was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution.

According to court documents, Watkins viewed and downloaded images of child sexual abuse material to his cellphone "on multiple occasions" between January and April 2023.

Watkins was arrested in 2023 on three counts of possession of child pornography after the Indiana State Police's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received several cybertip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The NCMEC is a private nonprofit that operates an online tip line for reporting suspected child sexual abuse material and online enticement of children for sexual acts.

In 2010, Watkins was charged with one count of child molestation and two counts of dissemination of matter harmful to minors in Daviess County, Indiana. The U.S. District Attorney's Office said Watkins was a registered sex offender at the time he was viewing the sexually explicit material.

"This previously convicted child molester chose to continue seeking gratification from the sexual abuse of children," said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, in the statement. "He didn't care about the trauma inflicted on these victims, so long as he could enjoy this heinous material. Thanks to the U.S. Secret Service, Indiana State Police, and our federal prosecutor, our children are safer, and this dangerous offender is back behind bars where he belongs."

Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Loogootee man Ryan Watkins sentenced for sexually explicit photos of minors