Lead Man Pleads Not Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Lead, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography.

William Jacob Stone, age 72, was indicted on September 14, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on October 22, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund on each charge.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Stone receiving and possessing computer images of child pornography between March 2020 and June 2021 in South Dakota.  The charges are merely accusations and Stone is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is a joint effort between Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.

Stone was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has been set for December 28, 2021.