COVINGTON, Ky. — A Covington man was convicted of 56 felony offenses, including sex crimes against a minor, this week, according to officials.
According to a press release from the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, 34-year-old Christopher Sears was found guilty of 32 counts of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, 20 counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and four counts of unlawful use of an electronic device to solicit a minor for sexual acts.
Friday, the same jury heard testimony about Sears' prior felony convictions and found him guilty of being a persistent felony offender.
According to the release, the jury recommended their verdicts run consecutively for a total of 972 years in prison. Because Sears' offenses were committed before the Safer Kentucky Act was passed, his sentence will be capped at 20 years by law.
The investigation into Sears began in 2024, according to the release, after police received multiple reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying Sears was using the social media app Kik to send pictures and videos of child sexual assault material to others.
Police investigated Sears' Kik account and found he was exchanging child sexual assault material with other users, including material he claimed to be of his own family members. The release said police also found conversations where Sears was communicating with minors on Kik, engaging in sexual conversations and sending obscene photos and videos of himself while also attempting to get photos and videos from those minors.
According to the release, Sears told detectives he was using Kik to cheat on his wife and thought of the app like a pornography website. He confessed to receiving "numerous" depictions of child sexual abuse material from other users.
The release said Sears claimed his behavior was a result of "significant methamphetamine use."
A formal, final sentencing will take place in September, according to the release.
