Shoshone County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

Kenneth Hendryx, 57, of Silverton, Idaho, entered a guilty plea in federal court on Tuesday to possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Tom Moss announced.

In September 2008, detectives with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, working with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, obtained a search warrant for Hendryx’s home in Silverton. Inside the home, detectives found a hard drive, which contained numerous sexually explicit images and videos of minors. Many of the videos and images were of children under the age of 12. During the search, Hendryx told detectives that he had been downloading child pornographic videos and images using “file sharing” software.

Hendryx is also a registered sex offender. In September 1993, Hendryx pleaded guilty to lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age in a Shoshone County District Court.

Hendryx has been held in the custody of United States Marshals since his arrest last October. Following his guilty plea, Hendryx was ordered to remain in custody until his sentencing on June 24, 2009, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, in Coeur d’ Alene.

Hendryx faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and supervised release of not less than five years following the term of incarceration.