KINGMAN – The five-year prison sentence ordered in a Kingman man’s child pornography case is consistent with locally imposed punishment for those considered to be lower-level offenders within the criminal genre. How long Dylan Masters, 33, should serve probation after prison was the key question before the court during a December 22 hearing at the Mohave County Law and Justice Center.
Masters was convicted of two counts reduced to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor through a plea agreement.
That Masters possessed only five images of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) when arrested, while many defendants are found to possess hundreds, if not thousands of illegal images and/or videos, was a factor in his favor said Judge Billy Sipe. That he served in the U.S. Army for six years ending in 2021 also provided mitigation for sentencing.
Allegations highlighted by deputy county attorney Leah Nelson weighed heavy with the court.
Nelson said investigation found concerning statements communicated by Masters. She said he indicated that he preferred girls 13 to 14 years of age and that 16 was his ceiling.
Nelson further noted that Masters commented that his own daughter is merely four years old and “needs to cook more.”
Defense attorney Ross Carponelli discounted the comments as “online bravado.”
“That is a very disturbing statement you made about your daughter,” Sipe told Masters. Sipe said admissions involving pornography addiction and teenage preference also represent need for long term supervision and monitoring of the defendant.
Sipe ordered that Masters will serve lifelong probation after prison.
