A Jerome man has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child after police found numerous nude photos of children as young as 10 years old on his phone, records say.
Jedediah James Mortensen, 36, appeared Monday in front of District Judge Rosemary Emory. At the same time, Emory denied a motion to reduce his $75,000.
Mortensen remains in jail since was initially charged with 10 felony counts in August. That number was later increased to 25.
Court records say prosecutors will recommend a sentence of five years fixed, five years determinate, with the court retaining jurisdiction. Sentencing has been set for March 11.
A cloud service for his cell phone company told law enforcement officers that they had found inappropriate images of prepubescent and minor children that were associated with his phone number.
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Mortesen, court records say, freely admitted to police officers that he had put images on his phone for sexual gratification and use in art projects, but initially said he didn’t know it was illegal.