A Yerington man has been arrested on charges including distribution of child sexual abuse material.
An investigation that began in March of this year led the Lyon County Sheriff's Office to arrest 25-year-old Yerington resident Daniel Luke Kidwell Jr., according to a release from the LCSO.
The investigation was prompted by multiple tips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The tips received included screen/usernames, email addresses, and IP addresses linked to the reported distribution of CSAM.
Through their collaboration with NCMEC, detectives discovered that an email address was associated with several social media accounts believed to be involved in the preparation, advertisement, and distribution of pornography involving minors.
NCMEC reported that these activities took place between October 2024 and January 2025.
Additional investigation tied a specific IP address to an internet service provider, the LCSO release said. This ultimately confirmed the subscriber's identity and address.
Multiple search warrants were served on the relevant email and social media accounts, leading to the identification of Kidwell, according to the release.
On Tuesday, April 15, LCSO detectives in coordination with the Northern Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant at Kidwell’s residence in Yerington.
During the operation, Kidwell was taken into custody without incident.
In serving the warrant, multiple electronic devices were seized. These devices are currently undergoing forensic analysis.
Kidwell has been booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges including unlawful to use minor in producing pornography and preparing or distributing materials depicting pornography involving minors.
His bail has been set at $120,000.
