A former plumber in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine building’s maintenance department was sentenced in Riley County District Court this week to prison.
The sentence for 63-year-old William Hynek, was the result of his conviction on three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Judge Grant Bannister sentenced Hynek to 32 months on each count, to be served concurrently. He’s also required to register as a sex offender and will have lifetime post-release supervision.
Hynek was arrested by K-State Police in August 2021 after a tip that he had child pornography on his computer that had been discovered when he turned it over to be repaired. According to state testimony in court Tuesday, the youngest victim in the images appeared to be 4 to 5 months old with the oldest victim appearing to be around 16 years old. Investigators found over 500 videos and images of infants being sexually abused by adults on his computer. A police search of his home uncovered hundreds more images of child pornography on over 100 different devices including VHS tapes, thumb drives, and external hard drives.
It was also noted in court by prosecutors that Hynek often let children into his Red Bud Estates home to use his computer. The state had sought the maximum sentence of 34 months to be served consecutively. The court would have been limited to a 68 month total sentence, but Bannister opted for the concurrent sentences since Hynek has been receiving psychological treatment.
Bannister granted Hynek two weeks to get his affairs in order before he reports to jail on June 11.
