Blanchester Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Producing Pornography Of Children

CINCINNATI – Stewart M. Kidwell, 37, of Blanchester, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, John Barrios, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Office, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil, Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell and members of the Greater Cincinnati Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, announced the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott.

According to court documents, the Cincinnati Police Department received a report from a citizen concerned by Kidwell’s statements on social media. Agents with the Greater Cincinnati Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force communicated with Kidwell undercover. During this communication, Kidwell told task force officers he was into “young taboo” and sent several pornographic images of a pre-pubescent girl.

Investigators also discovered a posting on Kidwell’s public Facebook page with a link to an incest website with a message that he was “willing to share.”

While executing a search warrant, Kidwell agreed to speak with law enforcement officials and admitted to taking the child pornographic photos he sent to the undercover officer. He identified the female depicted in the photos as a family member, who was less than 6 years of age at the time the photos were taken.

Kidwell pleaded guilty on August 18, 2014 to production of child pornography. He was also sentenced to lifetime supervised release.

“Kidwell’s actions are outrageous and reprehensible,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy told the court. “They have no place in a decent society whose mission should be to protect and nurture children, not abuse them.  Kidwell was charged with the duty to protect the victim from the evils of the world – not be the evil.”

Agencies participating in the task force in addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office are the:
Amberley Village Police Department
Blue Ash Police Department
Cincinnati Police Department
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters
Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil
Homeland Security Investigations
Secret Service
U.S. Marshals Service
West Chester Police Department

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by task force officers, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Christy Muncy, who prosecuted the case.