Dylan J. Minor, 27, of Chamois, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography on July 20, 2023. Minor was recently sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison. Upon his release, Minor will be required to register as a sex offender.

On Oct. 14, 2022, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department received a cybertip from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that a Kik user had uploaded suspected child pornography. That user was later identified to be Minor.

On Oct. 17, 2022, the detective executed a search warrant at Minor’s residence, with the assistance of the Osage County Sheriff’s Department. Two phones and a micro-SD card were found in Minor’s residence, which were later found to contain thousands of images and over 100 videos depicting child pornography.

On Jan. 17, 2023, Minor was indicted on federal charges of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography.

Minor was arrested without incident on Jan. 23, 2023, by Osage County deputies working in conjunction with the Franklin County Cyber Crimes Unit. Minor was booked into the Osage County Jail and later transferred to Cole County, which is the holding location for federal suspects.

In the plea agreement, Minor admitted that he had taken pornographic photos of a female minor victim at his home, and to sending and trading those pictures through the Kik app. He denied having inappropriate physical contact with that victim or any other child. 

“This was a team effort, especially when it came to the service of the search warrant in Chamois, Mo., which Sheriff Bonham’s personnel assisted with,” said Det. Sgt. Bret Hill of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Cyber Crimes Task Force.