The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation arrested a Casper man for distribution of child pornography, according to federal court records.

William David Larson heard the charge against him during his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Shickich in Casper on Thursday.

Larson, who is in custody, will appear in court for preliminary and detention hearings on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is seeking detention because Larson is accused of a crime of violence, there are no conditions that releasing him from custody will guarantee future court appearances or guarantee the safety of the community, and he probably committed a crime of child exploitation.

The government regards child pornography as a crime of violence because it involves sometimes brutal assaults on children who cannot give consent to sexual activity.

The case started this month when the DCI agent received information about Larson and obtained a search warrant for his residence on Cottontail Lane in west Casper, according to the affidavit filed by the agent in U.S. District Court on Thursday.

He and other law enforcement officials executed the warrant on Dec. 22 and seized three cell phones, a laptop computer, and two USB drives. An analysis of one cell phone revealed a 61-second video of the molestation of a girl between three to five years old.

During an interview, Larson told the agent he used his cell phone -- often with Kik Messenger software program -- to receive, possess, view and distribute images of child pornography. The Kik program preserves users' anonymity and prevents users from being located on the service through any information other than their chosen username.

If convicted, Larson faces a sentence of not less than five years to 20 years imprisonment, and not less than five years to lifetime supervised release.

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