CEDAR CITY — A 24-year-old Beaver man accused of being involved with child pornography has agreed to a plea deal in the case.
Nathaniel Tyler Adams pleaded guilty in 5th District Court to four counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony, according to a plea agreement signed April 6 and filed with the court on April 20. He was originally charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. In exchange for Adams’ guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to lessen the severity of the charges and drop the remaining six counts.
Each of the third-degree felony counts to which Adams has pleaded guilty is punishable by 0-5 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, plus a 90% surcharge, according to the document.
As previously reported in Cedar City News, Adams was arrested at his home in Beaver Jan. 16 after investigators reportedly found explicit messages in an online chat that mentioned sexually abusing a minor child, along with images of child pornography on an Instagram account belonging to Adams.
A laptop, cellphone and iPad belonging to Adams were also seized by authorities during the investigation, which was conducted by the Utah Attorney General’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
The plea agreement document stipulates that Adams agrees to serve 364 days in jail and submit to five years of supervised probation, in addition to having restrictions placed on internet access and contact with children under 18 years of age. He also must maintain full employment or spend the equivalent amount of time doing community service as a condition of his probation, in addition to undergoing sex offender treatment and therapy, the agreement states.
Fifth District Court Judge Keith C. Barnes is not necessarily bound by the recommendations stipulated in the agreement and may choose to impose different terms at his discretion.
Sentencing has been scheduled for the morning of June 15 in Beaver.
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