Man sentenced for possessing child pornography
Published at
IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man will spend up to a year on a rider program for possessing child pornography.
Brian Wayne Hillyard, 63, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession of child pornography in March before District Judge Bruce Pickett sentenced Hillyard Wednesday. Hillyard received an underlying two to eight year prison sentence that could be served if Hillyard does not successfully complete the rider.
A rider is when a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year to undergo different treatment programs. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison or release them on probation.
As part of a plea agreement made with Bonneville County Prosecutors, three additional felony counts of possession of child pornography were dismissed.
RELATED | Local man admits to using Tumblr to access child pornography, court documents say
The Idaho Falls Police Department began investigating Hillyard before his arrest in 2020 after Tumblr, a microblogging and social media network, alerted authorities of child pornography on Hillyard’s account. According to an affidavit of probable cause, Hillyard admitted to police he had used his Tumblr account to view child pornography.
In the affidavit, detectives describe dozens of disturbing images and videos involving children between the ages of 8 and 14 found on Hillyard’s phone that he turned over to police.
In addition to the time in custody, Hillyard was ordered to pay $2,091 in fees and fines, according to court records. He will also have to register as a sex offender.