The former state librarian of Iowa has been sentenced to probation after sending lewd photos to a police officer posing as a teen online.
Michael Scott, 55, of Clive was arrested in November after police said he used the KiK messaging app to send photos and videos of masturbation to someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy but was actually a sheriff’s deputy in Orange County, Florida. The conversation, which Scott initiated, had begun in August, police said.
Scott since 2014 had held the position of state librarian, a position that supports public libraries across the state and oversees millions of dollars in state and federal money. The Department of Administrative Services, which oversees the librarian’s office, said his employment ended after his arrest, and the state is currently seeking a replacement.
Dallas County prosecutors charged Scott with three misdemeanor counts of disseminating obscene material to minors. In April, he agreed to plead guilty to two of those charges. On June 12, he appeared before Judge Erica Crisp for sentencing, and was sentenced to two years of probation in lieu of four years in prison.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence, arguing in court filings that Scott had used his position as a librarian to gain his supposed victim’s trust, and claiming he had not shown any signs of remorse.
Scott’s attorney declined to comment after the sentencing.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former Iowa state librarian sentenced for sending lewd videos to officer posing as teen
Reporting by William Morris, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
