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A former Kansas City, Kansas, firefighter will remain behind bars while facing child pornography charges.
Devin T. Rich, 41, was in a federal courtroom Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas for a detention hearing, where his attorney asked a judge to release him, pending trial.
However, the judge denied that request, citing a potential risk to minors in the community, among other factors.
In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey McCormick pointed to a previous case where Rich was charged in 2018 with child exploitation after exchanging sexually charged messages with an undercover FBI agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. According to an affidavit, the FBI became involved after a separate woman alerted Wichita police that Rich had messaged her on Kik and sent her child pornography. She said he asked her "if she would do anything sexual with her daughter."
But in 2019, Rich accepted a plea deal that reduced the charges to "computer trespassing," a misdemeanor. He received probation, along with mandatory sex offender treatment.
Last week, Rich was arrested for allegedly sending and receiving child pornography in 2021 and 2022.
McCormick explained these charges stem from a Secret Service investigation that started in 2021 when the agency received a tip that child pornography was being shared on Kik by a user account that was traced back to Rich.
A search warrant was executed on his home, and his devices were confiscated.
Although those devices did not contain any child pornography, the prosecution said they came from an account matching Rich's, and investigators said they were able to trace the material back to IP addresses at both his home and his parents' home.
In court, McCormick referred to two examples of videos considered evidence, one involving a female infant and another involving a 5-year-old girl, both being sexually assaulted.
Rich was indicted by a grand jury on six counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession.
That indictment remains sealed.
A spokesperson for the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department confirmed Rich "separated" from the fire department in 2020.
Attorney John Duma argued his client (Rich) should be released, noting Rich has anticipated charges ever since his home was raided several years ago. Duma also noted Rich has never attempted to flee.
Rich is due back in court on May 12 for a status conference.
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