Lucas Kern, a 46-year-old resident of Huntington, Indiana, was sentenced on Feb. 27 to 168 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Kern will also face a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady.
Court documents show that law enforcement began investigating Kern in January 2024 after receiving information about an individual using an email account to access child sexual abuse material. Authorities determined the account was registered at Kern’s home in Huntington. In August 2025, when confronted with evidence that an image had been uploaded or saved to his email address, Kern admitted to receiving it. A search of his cell phone uncovered a large number of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Dawn Ransom prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at protecting children from exploitation and abuse. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
