CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — A Doniphan man faces a mandatory 10-year sentence after pleading guilty Wednesday in federal court to possessing child pornography.
Dallas W. Wuesthoff, 44, plead guilty to one count of possessing child pornography before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., according to the. U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Limbaugh set Wuesthoff’s sentencing for Aug. 13.
Wuesthoff, as required by federal statues, must serve a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison on the charge since he has a prior conviction for a sex-related offense against a minor. The maximum possible sentence is 20 years in prison.
According to a written guilty plea agreement, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Wuesthoff’s Doniphan home in November and seized various computers and electronic storage devices.
An examination of these items revealed the presence of numerous images of child pornography.
During his plea hearing, Wuesthoff admitted he used his computer to download this material over the internet.
Wuesthoff already was required to register as a sex offender as a result of a 1997 conviction for the felony of second-degree statutory sodomy in Ripley County.
This case was investigated by the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office, the SEMO Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.