Daniel Byron Devries Sentenced • Multiple Felonies Involving Illicit Child Material • SENTENCES

MUSKEGON COUNTY, Michigan — A Muskegon County church leader, who attorneys say held a "secret obsession" with child pornography, learned how long he'll spend in jail.

Daniel Byron DeVries of Fruitport Township was sentenced to 4 to 10 years in prison Wednesday.

DeVries was arrested back in March. He originally faced six felony counts, but pleaded guilty to two: one count of possession of child sexually abusive material and one count of using a computer to commit a crime. The other counts were dropped.The judge says, by her estimation of his watch history, there are 24 to 40 victims in this case. That's not to mention the community he's misled, she argued.

The judge shared her concerns about DeVries working with children through his position with the church while, at the same time, viewing sexually abusive material with children in similar age ranges. The judge delivered the 10-year maximum sentence to a tearful DeVries. He has credit for five days he's already spent in jail and will spend the rest of his life on the sexual offender registry.

"These children are sexually trafficked and abused and molested... because you are there watching it," the judge said.

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