Lemmon Man Indicted On Child Pornography Charges

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Lemmon, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography.

Donavon Lee Klein, age 60, was indicted on December 16, 2014.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Veronica L. Duffy on January 6, 2015, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.  

The penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment up to 20 years’ imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment charges that between June 2011 and July 2014, at Lemmon, Klein knowingly received and possessed computer files containing images of child pornography.

The charges are merely accusations and Klein is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation was conducted by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Patterson and Sarah Collins are prosecuting the case.

Klein was released pending trial with conditions limiting his use of the internet and contact with children.  A trial date has been set for March 17, 2015.