Huntington Man Sentenced to 168 Months in Prison

FORT WAYNE – On February 27, 2026, Lucas Kern, 46 years old, of Huntington, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Kern was sentenced to 168 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in January 2024, law enforcement received information regarding an individual using an email account to access child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement later learned that this account was registered to Lucas Kern’s home in Huntington, Indiana. When confronted in August 2025 with an image that had been uploaded or saved to his email address, Kern admitted to receiving the image. A subsequent search of Kern’s cell phone revealed a large number of images and videos of child sexual abuse material.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from Huntington County Sheriff’s Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dawn Ransom.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.