A Butler County man may face a minimum of 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography possession on Tuesday. Leslie Bryan Clark, 59, admitted to having child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his phone while living at a halfway house, from which he was scheduled to be released on June 13, 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, investigators found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) uploaded by Clark through the Kik messaging app. His probation officer also discovered explicit videos of minors on Clark’s phone, which he surrendered when confronted, according to the DOJ. Clark had previously served a 10-year prison sentence for a similar 2017 conviction and was under supervised release for 15 years, contributing to his current legal situation.
Clark is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20. Because this is a repeat offense, his sentence could reflect the severity of his prior conviction. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester will represent the government in court.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the U.S. Probation Office of the Eastern District of Missouri and the FBI. Clark could face up to 20 years in prison due to his prior conviction and for admitting to violating his supervised release. Additional charges related to his previous offenses may also affect his sentence.
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