Plea agreement leads to eight-year prison term for Kennett man in child exploitation case

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - A plea agreement resulted in a Kennett man's eight-year prison sentence for a child pornography conviction.

Matthew Tyler Hammond, 32, who listed 106 Winston St., No. 5 Dexter, as an address, admitted he had more than 100 images of child pornography on his computers after a Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) Division of Drugs and Crime Control investigation, according to court documents.

After several hearing continuances, a change of venue from Dunklin County to Butler County, and a bond reduction from $85,000 cash only to $100,000 surety, which he posted on May 1, 2024, Hammond on Jan. 28, changed his original not-guilty plea to guilty of one count of felony First Degree Promoting Child Pornography at a hearing in 36th Judicial District Circuit Court Presiding Judge Kacey Lee Proctor's courtroom, according to court documents.

A Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA) filed by David Patton on Feb. 8, 2024, indicates MSHP investigator Mstr. Sgt. Patrick Sublette, in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 2023, conducted an online investigation on the BitTorrent network for "offenders sharing child pornography," according to Patton's PCA.

A 73-second video of an adult male taking advantage of a "three or four-year-old" female sexually was shared from what was concluded to be Hammond's IP subscriber address, Patton's PCA states.

The investigation led detectives to Hammond's west-side Kennett home on Feb. 8, 2024, where he admitted to the illegal activity, told investigators more than 100 child pornography images would be found on his computers, and was arrested, according to court documents.

Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain leveled the felony charge, and proceedings were transferred to Butler County on a change of venue order granted on Feb. 28, 2024, court records state.

Proctor, on Jan. 28, accepted Hammond's guilty plea and sentenced him to the eight-year term, according to court documents.

The sentence is to run concurrent with any other sentence, Hammond receives credit for time served and is to register as a sex offender upon his release from MODOC, the judge's order specifies.

Jain and Asst. Prosecutor Ryan Dicus represented the people during the proceedings.

Hammond was represented by Dexter Attorney Russ Oliver, court documents state.