Vance Allan Warthen, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, South Dakota 2020

A Rapid City man has been charged with a serious crime that has left the community shaken. Vance Allan Warthen, 29, was indicted on January 15, 2020, for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography.

The charges relate to Warthen sexually exploiting an underage female in August 2019 at Rapid City by producing images of child pornography. He remained in possession of the images thereafter.

Warthen appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on January 17, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 15 up to 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of 5 years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

Warthen was detained pending trial, and a trial date has not yet been set. The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins is prosecuting the case.

The charges are merely an accusation, and Warthen is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This is a developing story, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/rapid-city-man-indicted-sexual-exploitation-minor