A 33-year-old Grand Rapids man was sentenced Friday to five years in prison after previous guilty pleas on four felony counts of possession of pornographic work involving a minor.
Benjamin Robert Basden received the statutory maximum sentence in what was a contested sentencing hearing in Itasca County District Court in Grand Rapids.
"Basden qualified for this sentence based upon the severity of the offenses and his criminal history that includes a previous second-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction," said a news release from Itasca County Attorney Matti Adam.
Basden was also ordered to register as a predatory offender and comply with a 10-year conditional release period. The case had been generated by the Itasca County Sheriff's Office.
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According to a criminal complaint filed in June 2018, Basden confessed to possessing pornographic materials to his probation agent. Conditions of his probation included that he not possess pornography.
"Basden reported to her that he was in possession of pornographic materials which would be classified as child pornography, based on the defendant's own admission," the complaint said.
The probation agent informed a county investigator, who completed a forensic download of a hard drive and electronic devices belonging to Basden, finding 629 images. The imagery described in the complaint was graphic and featured children as young as 10.
