Springfield man with history of child pornography involvement sentenced in Eugene court

A 43-year-old Springfield man was sentenced Wednesday by a U.S. District Court Judge in Eugene to 14 years in prison for repeatedly possessing and distributing photos and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

In 2006, Randy Cook, 43, was convicted of state child pornography in Missouri where he served a prison sentence for sending child sexual abuse materials to a minor, engaging in chats with a minor, and engaging in additional sexual chats with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a minor, according to court documents.

Following his release from prison in Missouri, Cook was required to register as a sex offender.

Cook allegedly resumed distributing child sexual abuse materials online during the summer of 2020 and spring of 2021, using multiple accounts on Kik Messenger while residing in Springfield, according to court records. This discovery led investigators to execute a search warrant on June 11, 2021, on Cook's home, truck, and person where they discovered approximately 194 images and 63 videos depicting child sex abuse.

Court documents reveal Cook was later arrested and charged in July 2021 by criminal complaint with possessing and distributing child pornography. A federal grand jury in Eugene indicted Cook on the same charges in July 2023.

While Cook's case was being litigated in Eugene, an FBI task force officer in Louisiana investigating an unrelated matter began conversing with an individual on Kik who was later determined to be Cook in Dec. 2023. In conversations with the officer online, Cook claimed to have engaged in sexual acts with children and sent the agent an explicit video of a child.

Cook was then arrested a second time on Dec. 14, 2023, when he was leaving his Springfield residence to plead guilty in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Oregon.

On Jan. 14, 2024, Cook plead guilty to three counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

In addition to 14 years in prison, Cook was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Springfield man sentenced to prison in child pornography case