BY JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A former Ellis County sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to child pornography and gun charges.
Blaine Dryden, 62, Hays, was sentenced to a total of 102 months in prison Tuesday in Ellis County District Court for aggravated internet trading of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child and theft of a firearm.
As part of a plea agreement in August, Dryden pleaded no contest to the three charges and was found guilty. Six counts of sexual exploitation of a child were dropped in the agreement.
Dryden was sentenced to 61 months in prison for aggravated internet trading of child pornography, 34 months for sexual exploitation of a child and seven months for theft of a firearm.
All three sentences will run concurrent for a total of 102 months in prison. He must also register as a sexual offender for at least 25 years and he will be subject to post-release supervision, or parole.
Court documents show that the Hays Police Department received a tip about child pornography being shared through Facebook in November 2019.
The investigation led officers to Dryden’s residence and it was determined he uploaded and sent a sexual image of a young girl to a woman in Nebraska. Authorities said Dryden admitted to the crime, and several other images and electronic devices were found during the investigation.
Police also later investigated weapons found in Dryden’s home and determined that they were connected to Hays Police Department investigations. He had falsified paperwork claiming the guns had been destroyed, according to the investigation.
Dryden has forfeited his law enforcement license.
Because of his work in law enforcement in Kansas, his attorney has requested that he serve his time outside of the state of Kansas. District Judge Glenn Braun said Tuesday he would make that request with the Department of Corrections, which will make that determination.
Dryden was a member of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office at the time that the crimes occurred. He worked for the department for nearly six and a half years.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office handled the prosecution in the case, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation.