Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Chance Jennings Daykin, 26, to 14 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

“Chance Daykin accessed the dark web to feed his child pornography habit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “He uploaded child pornography, viewed pedophile instruction books, and discussed, with others online, how to obtain children to rape and murder. Thanks to the work of the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office and federal prosecutors Julie Childress and Chris Nassar, Daykin will serve the next 14 year in federal prison.”

“I want to remind the public that the viewing of child pornography is not a passive crime. The demand for this material fuels the physical and sexual abuse of children around the world.”

On May 10, 2021, Daykin pleaded guilty, to distribution and receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and with possession of child pornography.

Daykin admitted to distributing and receiving child sexual abuse material via electronic means from Dec. 19, 2019 to Oct. 19, 2020. He further admitted to knowingly accessing with intent to view the child pornography. Some of those images and videos depicted the sexual abuse of minors who were younger than 12 years of age.

Specifically, on Dec. 19, 2019, Daykin uploaded images and videos of child pornography to dropbox.com. A search warrant was obtained for Daykin’s IP address based on a cyber tip sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that reported the Dropbox uploads. The search indicated the IP user was associated with an address in Collinsville. On Oct 19, 2020, the Roger’s County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the address and arrested the defendant.

Images recovered on the defendant’s electronic devises included bestiality and the rape of infants and prepubescent children. At least one image showed an infant either dead or seriously injured who had been sexually abused.

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors outlined evidence discovered during the investigation showing the defendant’s behavior was escalating.

-After his arrest, Daykin admitted that he had a problem with child pornography and had sought treatment.

-In a recovered online conversation, Daykin bragged that he had access to children and had given a 7-year-old a bath and sexually abused her. Investigators could not substantiate the claim.

-On Dropbox, Daykin shared links and asked “Got any kids screaming? Those are hard to find.”

-In an online conversation with an individual he was communicating with, the two discussed setting up a Kik account for her young cousin so Daykin could reach out to the cousin.

-In multiple conversations with another individual online, Daykin repeatedly asked the individual if she had found parents who would let them “use their preteen girls.” At one point, the individual says she met a mother who needs money and was negotiating with her. In another conversation, the defendant stated that he wanted to “rape and kill” and later said “a little girl just adds more flavor.”

During the sentencing hearing, Daykin’s attorney reminded the court that while the communications were wrong and disturbing, the conversations were a lot of talk that “never left the desktop.” He also pointed to the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility, lack of criminal history and long-term difficulty with socialization.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Childress countered, saying Daykin’s pattern of sustained criminal acts were not simply a mistake. She argued that his actions showed an escalating and predatory sexual interest in the rape and murder of children. She further reminded the Court that the defendant had downloaded software to try to conceal his actions. Childress described Daykin as a clear threat to society, arguing the acts necessitated a minimum of 180 months in federal prison. She argued that a lengthy sentence would protect the public, serve as a deterrent to others, and allow the defendant to get the long-term treatment needed to counter his deviant addiction.

Following sentencing, Daykin was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.

The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Childress and Chris Nassar prosecuted the case.