Pryor Man Faces 20 Years After Partygoer Finds Child Porn on Phone, Feds Say

A Pryor man is facing up to 20 years in federal prison after a phone left behind at a house party exposed a video of child pornography, officials said Tuesday.

Melvin Lee Stops, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty in Billings federal court to one count of receiving child pornography, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith.

A Forgotten Phone Leads to Federal Charges

The federal investigation began back in June 2022 due to a mistake by the defendant. According to court documents, Stops was attending a house party when he left his cell phone behind.

Another partygoer found the phone and discovered "videos of underage girls" on the device. She immediately contacted law enforcement to report the discovery. Following a search warrant served on the phone, federal investigators confirmed the illicit material.

What’s Next for Stops

Stops now faces severe federal penalties, including:

• A prison sentence ranging from 5 to 20 years
• Fines and assessments totaling over $290,000
• Five years to a lifetime of supervised release

U.S. District Judge Watters will determine the final sentence at a later date. Stops remains detained pending his sentencing hearing.

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The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.