Federal Grand Jury Indicts Five Men on Child Pornography Charges

Two men pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges during their initial appearances in federal court today, according to court records.

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted James Hibbler on two counts of possession of child pornography and Thomas Krcelic on one count of distribution of child pornography. They remain in custody.

The grand jury also indicted three other men on child pornography possession: Charles Eugene Sauer, Steven Dale Webb, and Brian M. White. These three have yet to attend their initial appearances.

The indictments do not indicate the ages or residences of the defendants.

Depending on the outcomes of their individual cases, the men could face many years behind bars, and supervised releases for up to life.

John Powell, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming, says he cannot comment on these individual cases.

However, child pornography remains a scourge, Powell says.

"We continue to prosecute these cases through the U.S. Attorney's office and through local county and district attorney offices," he says. "There never seems to be a lack of business for us, unfortunately."

Federal and state governments regard child pornography as a crime of violence because the victims are often brutalized and cannot legally consent to sexual relations.