LOGAN — A 29-year-old Hyrum man has confessed to sharing child pornography through Facebook. Kaw T. Blay accepted a plea deal while refusing to admit he was guilty.
According to court records, Blay appeared Monday afternoon in 1st District Court for an arraignment hearing. He pleaded “no contest” to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
The plea means he conceded the alleged charge occurred without admitting guilt or offering a defense. It is still viewed as a guilty plea in court.
Prosecutors report, Logan City Police officers received a cybertip from the Utah Attorney General’s Office in July 2021. It described how several Facebook users were sharing child pornography through the social media site. The file was a video of a 5 to 8-year-old girl exposing herself.
Police were able to identify Blay and the other users involved from their Facebook profiles. They were reportedly all friends and co-workers. The other suspects were arrested and charged previously.
Blay was arrested in March and later released on $30,000 bail.
Court records show, Blay spoke through an interpreter Monday, waiving his rights to a fair trial and accepting the plea agreement. As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped two remaining charges.
Judge Spencer Walsh scheduled Blay to be sentenced Feb. 6. He also ordered him to have no cell phone with internet access.
will@cvradio.com
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