Today, former Jones County GOP Chair Rocky Hayes pled “Nolo Contendere” or No Contest to a single felony count of possessing child pornography in Lincoln County court, according to UJS records.
The No Contest plea allowed Hayes to resolve the claims against him without admitting guilt, while conceding that the prosecution had sufficient evidence that he could be convicted should a trial move forward. As noted when charges were brought (via this article on Sioux Falls Live):
After confirming from Midco via subpoena that the IP address belonged to Hayes, investigators continued searching through his Dropbox account, where they found two other files believed to depict child pornography. One file was a 9-second video depicting a girl, estimated to be 13 years old, performing a sex act, and another 15-minute video of a girl, estimated to be 8-10 years old, being raped.
After his “No Contest” plea, the judge issued an order for a psychosexual evaluation prior to sentencing. According to State Law,
Any person convicted of a felony violation as provided in subdivisions 22-24B-1(1) to (15), inclusive, and (19), (24) and (25), shall have included in the offender’s presentence investigation report a psycho-sexual assessment including the following information: the offender’s sexual history; an identification of precursor activities to sexual offending; intellectual, adaptive and academic functioning; social and emotional functioning; previous legal history; previous treatment history; victim selection and age; risk to the community; and treatment options recommended.
For the Class 4 felony charge (22-24A-3) Hayes faces up to ten years imprisonment in the South Dakota State penitentiary.
Has to be something wrong with a guy 47-years old, saving child porn to a drop box account. Typically the victims have to be identified, so I would assume the dropbox had a ton of other content, even though they only listed the two. Sick….
Yet again not a Drag Queen nor someone who is Transgender but another Republican who is active in the party. Joel Koskan and Ted Klaudt will be joined by another.
Sex Offenders don’t have a sterling record of rehabilitation, though they are capable of changing their behavior. They seem to have something important missing in their mental development.It seems to me 10 years is a very strict sentence for a ‘minor collector of child porn, ” but it is reflective of South Dakotans revulsion to this behavior.
I believe the least relevant fact in the report is the man’s former status with Jones County Republicans. He was probably a Farm Bureau member also, or member of a church or bowling league … Sad, nevertheless
No way this goofy looking fellow was in a bowling league in the County of Jones.
No way.
The County of Lyman?
Maybe.