Christian David Petty

After he was caught downloading and sharing numerous sexual images of children, a Powell man agreed to serve five to seven years in state prison.

Christian David Petty, 33, recently pleaded no contest to two felony counts of possessing child pornography and accepted the prison term in exchange for 18 similar counts being dismissed. 

“I’m going to use the time that I am incarcerated to get the help I need so that I may come out a better person,” Petty said at a July 16 sentencing in Park County District Court.

Petty’s time in prison will be followed by three years of supervised probation and a requirement to register as a sex offender.

“It is not a victimless crime because the dissemination of this information is really poison,” District Judge Bill Simpson said as he accepted the plea deal and imposed the stipulated sentence. “It can corrupt. It erodes. It degrades human society and humanity, and unfortunately, it creates horrendous problems.”

Simpson called the issue as “an absolute epidemic” in the age of the internet and social media.

The judge said he hopes Petty will take advantage of the treatment offered within the Wyoming Department of Corrections’ system and be able to contribute to society in a positive way when he’s released.

Incriminating files

Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Gary Seder searches file sharing networks for child pornography and his investigation found that Petty was involved in downloading and sharing the illicit material for more than a year. Charging documents say that between February 2025 and March 2026, someone using a Powell-based IP address shared six videos on the BitTorrent network that depicted underage girls engaged in sexual activity; the documents contain few details about the videos, but the file names suggested the children were under the age of 10 and a couple titles referred to incest.

After learning that the IP address was assigned to Petty, Seder got a warrant and searched the suspect’s Avenue C residence on March 10. The agent said he found “numerous” illegal files on Petty’s computer, including several named “pedopfile [sic] MEGA pack.”

Petty reportedly told the agent that he’d been addicted to child pornography since he was 17. At his initial circuit court appearance on March 13, Petty said he was sorry. He also said he understood the severity of the case and that it would “probably … mean the rest of my life.”

Striking a deal

Petty’s bail was initially set at $300,000 cash by Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrrah, but Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Ericka Smith agreed to Petty’s release on a $30,000 cash bond in April; court records say $20,000 of that sum was later paid to his defense attorney, Tim Blatt, for legal fees.

Blatt and Smith later reached a plea deal and publicly filed it with the district court on June 30 — but Simpson apparently didn’t see the document ahead of the July 16 sentencing.

“I have no written plea agreement; I’m not sure what the plea agreement is … or even if there is a plea agreement,” the judge said, before being corrected by Smith.

After taking a break to retrieve and review the document, Simpson expressed “some concerns” about the deal. The judge said he wanted the Department of Corrections to compile a standard report on Petty’s background before deciding whether to accept it.

However, after Smith said that Agent Seder believed the agreement was appropriate, Simpson decided to approve it.

Although the charge indicates that Petty delivered child pornography or possessed it with intent to deliver, Smith noted that he was just accessing the material and then putting it on a peer-to-peer file sharing system where others could download it.

“I’m not trying to downplay it, but he was not actively sending child pornography to other individuals,” the prosecutor said of Petty, “and that is the reason that both DCI and the state believe that this is an appropriate sentence.”

Petty appeared by video from Blatt’s office at the Park County Complex and at the end of the hearing, Simpson directed the defendant to stay put until a sheriff’s deputy could take him into custody.

Petty is set to be released to probation following the five- to seven-year prison term, but any violations could result in another five to seven years being imposed.