Dunn County, ND, Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Minor Children

BISMARCK – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that on August 14, 2024, United States District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor sentenced Jason Lathe Hutchinson, Age 54 of Dunn County, ND, to serve 450 months’ imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release for the charges of three counts of producing and eight counts of attempting to produce images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors.

In 2023, a report was made to law enforcement that Hutchinson was placing hidden cameras in bathrooms on his properties to capture images of minors in various states of nudity while going to the bathroom or entering/exiting the shower.  A search warrant was obtained, and it was determined that Hutchinson had been engaging in this practice since 1992 and had captured images of at least eleven different minors, ranging from 5 to 17 years of age, in various states of nudity during that time. Hutchinson admitted to this conduct to both law enforcement and during an earlier change of plea hearing before the court.

“This long sentence is a fair one considering the shocking and predatory crimes at issue in this case, “The United States Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement are committed to protecting North Dakota kids. We will continue to vigorously pursue child predators online and, in the community, and bring them to justice in federal court.”

“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul special agents play a very important role in protecting the public from exploitation in all its forms, especially the sexual exploitation of children,” said Jamie Holt, HSI St. Paul Special Agent in Charge. “The sentence handed down to Hutchinson sends a clear message to predators that they will be held accountable, and they are subject to significant punishments for preying on the most vulnerable in our communities.”  

This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gary Delorme.

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