Emma Dejong

Former SDSU student William Reed was found guilty of three counts of receipt or distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography at a jury trial Feb. 3.

Before leaving SDSU in 2008, Reed was a communication studies major who was a senator for SA, worked at Outback Jacks, was an orientation leader and participated in campus activities like Miss Homelycoming.

Reed’s investigation began in 2006 when Seattle, Wash., law enforcement officials noticed he was using the Internet to share child pornography. A search warrant in 2007 confirmed that his online chat username was the same he used for sharing the pornography. On Jan. 8, 2008, he was indicted by a federal grand jury.

There will be a sentencing hearing April 26. For each of the four counts, Reed will be required to serve five to 20 years in prison. However, he will likely be given a concurrent sentence, allowing him to serve his time for the four counts simultaneously.

Various departments within the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force combined efforts in conducting the investigation. Reed’s case is being brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, an organization devoted to “protecting children from online exploitation and abuse.”