Text messages led to child porn conviction

Roy F. Ressler, 39, Mandan, N.D., was sentenced Monday before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Daniel L. Hovland on a charge of receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors., according to U.S. Attorney Drew H. Wrigley.

Ressler pleaded guilty to the charge on April 27.

Hovland sentenced Ressler to serve five years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Ressler was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim’s Fund and to register as a sex offender.

In September 2007, parents of a juvenile female in University Heights, Ohio, reported to law enforcement that their juvenile daughter was receiving sexually explicit text messages on her cell phone. Investigators viewed the text messages and initiated a text communication with Ressler in Mandan. Ressler, believing he was texting the juvenile female, tried to convince her to run away from home and travel to Fargo, where he would pick her up. The investigation was reported to the Mandan Police Department and a search warrant was obtained for Ressler’s residence and computer.

The search uncovered sexually explicit pictures of the juvenile female on Ressler’s computer.

Tags: courts and crime, child porn, news, mandan