Jury finds man guilty of possessing child pornography

A Columbia man was found guilty of possessing child pornography in Boone County this week.

According to prosecutors, a jury found Dakota Smith guilty on nine out of 10 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of tampering with evidence.

ABC 17 News previously reported Smith was a former bus driver with Student Transportation of America. Deputies said the investigation began in July 2017 after the Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force received a tip that someone uploaded child pornography to social media.

Court documents said a forensic examiner recovered multiple deleted images which depicted nude boys some appearing as young as 6 years old.

The jury recommended Smith be sentenced to two years in prison on each of the 10 guilty counts. A final sentencing will be decided by the judge. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 25 at 1:30 p.m.

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