A 33-year-old Powell man has been sentenced to five to seven years in prison after pleading no contest to two felony counts of possessing child pornography.
According to the Powell Tribune, Christian David Petty entered the plea in Park County District Court as part of an agreement that dismissed 18 additional felony counts. Following his prison sentence, Petty will serve three years of supervised probation and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Court records indicate the investigation began after the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation identified a Powell-based IP address allegedly sharing files depicting the sexual abuse of children through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network between February 2025 and March 2026. Investigators later executed a search warrant at Petty’s residence, where they reportedly found numerous illegal files on his computer.
The plea agreement resolved the case without a trial. During sentencing, District Judge Bill Simpson accepted the agreement after reviewing it and ordered Petty to serve the stipulated prison sentence.
According to court proceedings, prosecutors said the charges stemmed from Petty’s use of a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, where files were made available for others to download. They argued the agreed-upon sentence was appropriate based on the facts of the case and the investigation.
Petty was taken into custody following the July 16 sentencing hearing. If he violates the terms of his probation after his release from prison, he could face an additional five- to seven-year prison sentence.