MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. — Miami County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Spahr denied WTHR's request to have cameras in the courtroom for Kegan Kline's sentencing hearing in his child pornography case.
Kline pleaded guilty March 30 to the 25 charges, ranging from child exploitation and possession of child pornography to obstruction of justice.
An amendment to the Code of Judicial Conduct went into effect May 1, which lets local judges decide if news media can bring their cameras into court.
"Given the nature of the offenses involved, there is the possibility that references will be made during said hearing to sexually explicit materials and/or sexually explicit conduct. Thus, the Court considers this to be a less-than-ideal set of circumstances for the breaking of new ground in Miami County in the realm of the recording and broadcasting of court proceedings by members of the news media," Spahr wrote in his ruling to deny cameras in the courtroom in this Kline's sentencing hearing.
Kline is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday, May 18 at 9 a.m.
The prosecutor said there is no plea agreement being offered, but Kline and his attorney indicated he was ready to plead guilty to the charges. The sentencing will be left up to the judge.
In his change of plea, Kline told the judge he thinks he is bipolar and schizophrenic, but he was able to make the clear decision to plead guilty. The judge walked Kline through each charge to make sure he understood what he was pleading guilty to.
After pleading guilty, Kline gave sworn testimony about the offenses he committed. Kline admitted receiving photos of girls under 18 showing their bare breasts, along with other graphic photos. Kline admitted having pornographic images of girls under 12 years old.
Kline admitted using the catfish social media profiles "anthony_shots" and "Emily Ann" to contact his victims. He also admitted that he obstructed justice by deleting social media apps from his devices.
Kline will also have to register as a violent sexual offender when he is released from prison.