A Pennington County judge sentenced 20-year-old Ethan Moody to eight years in prison, with four years suspended, for possessing child sexual abuse material.
Moody pleaded guilty to one count in July as part of a plea deal that dismissed two other charges. Prosecutors said he had about 100 illicit images and minimized his actions during a pre-sentence investigation.
Assistant Chief Deputy Jason Thomas urged a 10-year sentence, citing the seriousness of the crime and a psychosexual evaluation showing Moody’s sexual interest in children ages 6 to 13. He emphasized that a clean record doesn’t lessen the harm caused.
Defense attorney Ryan Sutton argued for probation, noting Moody’s lack of prior offenses, early court appearances, and ongoing mental health treatment.
Circuit Judge Eric Kelderman called the case “vile” and said the severity of the offense outweighed Moody’s clean record, warranting prison time.
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