CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

SALYERSVILLE — Salyersville resident Kent Simpkins, 43, will face a decade behind bars following a guilty plea to multiple felonies involving child sexual abuse material and a sex crime against an animal, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced.

The investigation of Simpkins began following a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Simpkins was uploading sexually explicit images of juveniles to an online social media account.

The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch executed a search warrant for Simpkins and his residence in Salyersville on Feb. 13. They uncovered a trove of explicit images depicting minors involved in sexual acts, numerous animal sex videos and a video of Simpkins engaged in a sexual act with the family dog.

A Magoffin County grand jury indicted Simpkins on May 16.

On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to seven felony counts: one count of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under 12, three counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under 12, two counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor over 12, and one count of a sexual crime against an animal.

The plea deal includes a recommended 10-year sentence, lifetime registration on the Kentucky Offender Registry and five years of post-incarceration supervision.

“A single tip to law enforcement led to a 10-year sentence that will keep this dangerous predator away from our children,” Coleman said in a statement. “I am grateful to the investigators and prosecutors who stare into this darkness to protect our families from these serious crimes.”

The court set Simpkins’ sentencing for March 6, 2025.