Jack Eichorst was ordered Monday to serve back-to-back 90-day jail sentences after prosecutors described his role in sharing thousands of images and videos of child pornography over several months.
The 20-year-old son of former Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst had pleaded no contest in September to a pair of misdemeanor charges of possession of child pornography for the images and videos found on his phone during a 2017 investigation.
While a pre-sentence investigation determined that Jack Eichorst, who has no prior criminal record, is a low risk to re-offend and posed no risk to public safety, Lancaster County District Court Judge Lori Maret said any sentence that did not include incarceration depreciated the seriousness of his crime.
Eichorst "was fluent in the lingo" of obtaining child pornography and knew how to ask others on messaging applications how to find the images he sought, Maret said.
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Investigators said Eichorst had hundreds of contacts and received and forwarded approximately 10,000 images and 3,500 videos of mostly boys aged 5 to 16 being sexually exploited over several months.
Sean Brennan, Eichorst's attorney, said his client, who has autism, was under the close supervision of his parents in Texas without access to a phone or the internet, and asked the court to impose a sentence of probation that would allow him to continue living with his family.
The criminal proceeding, which according to an affidavit for Eichorst's arrest in October 2017 began with a reported sex assault allegation by a 12-year-old boy, had "a profound effect" on Eichorst.
Police arrested Eichorst, then 18, following the report, but he never was charged with a sex crime. During the investigation, Eichorst gave police permission to search his phone, which led to the discovery of the child pornography.
Prosecutors later amended the complaint against Eichorst to drop the felony charge of distributing child pornography.
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Chris Turner said while the pre-sentence investigation, including letters of support from friends, family and mentors, painted Eichorst in a favorable light, they also displayed "a lack of understanding" in the seriousness of the crime.
"Mr. Eichorst knew exactly what he was looking forÌý— child pornographyÌý— and he knew exactly what he was exchangingÌý— child pornography," Turner said at the sentencing hearing.
Maret said Eichorst had been given a "generous plea offer" by prosecutors, but agreed with Turner that Eichorst willingly trafficked the images.
She ordered Eichorst to serve consecutive 90-day sentences in county jail. He will need to serve at least 106 days before he is eligible for early release.
The judge declined to give Eichorst credit for three days served following his arrest, and also declined a request to delay sentencing pending appeal.
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