Derik Eugene Rothrock, Child Sexting, Michigan 2023

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – Derik Eugene Rothrock, 35, of Sturgis, Michigan, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexting with a 15-year-old girl.

The federal penalty for receiving child pornography is usually a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum of 20. However, Rothrock faced an enhanced sentence of 15 to 40 years because he has a prior conviction for Criminal Sexual Conduct, Second Degree (Person under 13) in the 15th Circuit Court in Coldwater, Michigan.

Rothrock, who pled guilty in federal court in March, received sexually explicit cell phone photos of the 15-year-old girl and used a fake name and Facebook page to trick her and two other victims into sending him explicit photos of themselves. He met the three West Michigan girls – ages 12, 14, and 15 – over a long weekend in July 2013, sexually abused two of them, and convinced all of them to send him explicit photos over text messages.

U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff stated that Rothrock’s “life has been out of control pretty much his entire life” and that “the longer we can keep him away from society, and young girls in particular, the better.” In denying Rothrock’s request for a below-guideline sentence based on his own history of being sexually abused as a child, the judge emphasized the need for individualized deterrence.

The case was jointly investigated by the Township of Kalamazoo Police Department, Michigan State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa K. Hessmiller prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office; county prosecutor’s offices; the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC); the West Michigan Based Child Exploitation Task Force (WEBCHEX); and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children.

Rothrock’s sentence includes a lifetime of supervised release, and he will no longer be able to prey on vulnerable children or steal their innocence.

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