Crime and Courts

Bozeman man sentenced for child pornography charges

Posted: Dec 10, 2012 11:44 AM

MISSOULA - A Bozeman man was sentenced in federal court in Missoula last week for child pornography charges.

Joseph Franklin Reynolds, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen to serve five years in prison and 10 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to transfer of obscene material to minors and receipt of child pornography.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, in September 2011, a boy lost his cell phone at the skate park in Bozeman; Reynolds found it and contacted girls whose numbers were in the phone. After learning that one of the girls was 14 years old, Reynolds reportedly texted her an image of his genitals.

The Bozeman Police Department, a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), investigated the case. Reynold's personal cell phone and computer were seized and forensically analyzed, and images and videos depicting child pornography were located on both, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Bozeman Police Department, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.