Man Accused of Child Porn Crimes Pleads Not Guilty; Remains in Custody

A Casper-area man charged with three child pornography-related counts will remain in custody unless a viable plan for his release can be developed, a federal judge said Monday.

Nathaniel Wayne Stratton heard the single counts of attempted production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography during his initial appearance in federal court last week.

Monday, Stratton pleaded not guilty to the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Shickich during the arraignment and detention hearing by videoconference in Casper.

The detention hearing accompanying the arraignment wasn't as easy.

Even though Stratton had little if any criminal history, the charges and background of the investigation pose some questions, Shickich said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christyne Martens said Stratton used Twitter to talk to girls, the youngest being 8, and encourage them to sent him pornographic images from October 2021 to July. Some of the images portrayed children engaging in sex acts and sadistic conduct, she added.

No evidence was found that Stratton physically contacted any of the alleged victims, Martens said.

Stratton could be released if it was possible for him to live away from children, she added.

Federal Public Defender Tracy Hucke argued for his supervised release,

Stratton is the sole breadwinner for the family and works an intense schedule, leaving early in the morning and coming home late at time with his truck-driving job, Hucke said.

Other noncustody possibilities include an electronic monitoring device, or the possibility of living with his parents who have a house on his land, Hucke said.

In deliberating what to do, Shickich said the charges are very troubling and very serious.

Despite the proposals for a supervised release, the judge decided to keep Stratton in custody for the time being.