Hayden man sentenced for possession of child porn

A Hayden man was sentenced to prison following his conviction of two counts of sexual exploitation of children by possession of sexually exploitative material.

Kenneth Ely, 68, was sentenced Dec. 11 to a 10-year prison sentence with parole eligibility after two years by District Judge John Cafferty, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

In March, officers began investigating Cybertips indicating Ely was accessing child pornography. After obtaining a search warrant, officers searched Ely’s laptop computer and a USB drive and located evidence indicating Ely had possessed hundreds of photos and/or videos depicting child pornography — some of which depicted nude pre-pubescent children, the release said.

During the investigation, officers learned that Ely first viewed child pornography 25 years ago and began collecting it about five years ago, according to the release.

Possession of child pornography is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. 

At sentencing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Shannon Jackson recommended a 10-year prison sentence with parole eligibility after four years. 

"This office will continue to vehemently prosecute the exploitation of children in an effort to help protect and reach justice for the children and their families," the press release said.