ND man gets 37.5 years for sexual exploitation of children

A North Dakota man has been sentenced to 37.5 years in federal prison after being convicted of taking photographs of nearly a dozen children in various stages of nudity.

Jason Lathe Hutchinson, 54, of Dunn County, will also serve a lifetime of probation. He was charged with three counts of producing and eight counts of attempting to produce images of sexual exploitation of minors, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota said in a statement.

Law enforcement received a report in 2023 that Hutchinson had placed hidden cameras in bathrooms on his property and captured images of minors as they went to the bathroom or got in and out of the shower, the affidavit said. A search warrant determined he had been involved in the practice since 1992. Hutchinson photographed at least 11 minors, ranging in age from 5 to 17.

“Hutchinson’s sentence sends a clear message to predators that they will be held accountable and face severe penalties for exploiting the most vulnerable in our communities,” HSI St. Paul Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt said in the statement.