A 22-year-old Oklahoma man who pleaded guilty last year to possession of child pornography, was sentenced late last month to one year in county jail. Enid, Oklahoma resident Dillon Thomas Cline will also serve 14 years probation for the sex crime, in addition to paying fines, registering as a sex offender, completing counseling, and forgoing …
A 22-year-old Oklahoma man who pleaded guilty last year to possession of child pornography, was sentenced late last month to one year in county jail. Enid, Oklahoma resident Dillon Thomas Cline will also serve 14 years probation for the sex crime, in addition to paying fines, registering as a sex offender, completing counseling, and forgoing any access to the Internet, except for job duties. Cline’s case highlights the life-changing consequences of being charged with sex crimes like child pornography in Oklahoma. If you have been charged with a serious Oklahoma sex crime, like possession of child pornography, contact our criminal defense attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center to discuss your possible defense options.
Penalties for OK Child Pornography Charges
Cline pleaded guilty on October 1, 2012, to the felony charge of child pornography possession, which carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine in Oklahoma. District Judge Dennis Hladik heard testimony from the Enid Police Department, Cline’s mother, two psychologists and Cline himself before sentencing the 22-year-old to one year in county jail. A pre-sentencing investigation recommended that Cline’s sentence for the child pornography charges be suspended in its entirety, but Assistant District Attorney Tallena Hart asked Hladik to order Cline into Department of Corrections custody for 15 years. Cline’s attorney argued that probation and the restrictions affecting Oklahoma sex offenders would be punishment enough.
Doctors: Cline Needs Counseling, Not Incarceration
The investigation that led to Cline’s arrest in 2011 was conducted by Enid Police Department Sgts. Greg Gordon and Dustin Albright, who executed a search warrant and seized a laptop from Cline’s home. According to Gordon, he conducted a forensic analysis of the computer and found videos of children ranging from ages three to 12. Both detectives testified in Cline’s case, as did doctors Richard Kishur and Stephen Close, both of whom had previously examined Cline and said he would not benefit from incarceration. Dr. Kishur said that Cline needed further counseling and not incarceration, and Dr. Close agreed, saying, “I think Dillon is very ill-equipped to be able to deal with a dangerous situation,” he said regarding Dillon’s inability to handle incarceration.
Contact Our Criminal Defense Lawyers Today
Although a report filed by Dr. Kishur stated that Cline was a “low-to-moderate” risk for re-offending, the 22-year-old now faces one year in county jail and 14 years probation for his sex crime. If you have been arrested on sex crime charges in Oklahoma, your first course of action should be to consult our criminal defense lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center. Our defense team has years of experience protecting the legal rights of individuals charged with sex crimes throughout Oklahoma, and may be able to get your charges reduced to a lesser offense, or possibly even dismissed altogether. Contact our Oklahoma City-based law firm today for legal help.