Show-Me State Times

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey has sentenced a registered sex offender, Michael A. Kight, to 10 years in prison after he was found with child pornography while on supervised release from a previous offense. Kight had initially pleaded guilty in 2015 to receipt and possession of child pornography, resulting in a six-year prison sentence followed by lifetime supervision.

On May 19, 2023, a U.S. probation officer discovered that Kight had been communicating with other sex offenders he met during his incarceration and had sent images on a digital SD card to one of them. A subsequent search of his computer revealed 27 images and one video containing child sexual abuse material.

Kight, now 31, admitted guilt in August to one count of possession of child pornography as a prior offender. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Probation Office and Homeland Security Investigations, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang handling the prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to address the increasing problem of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This project coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children online and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.