Dryden
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A former Ellis County law enforcement officer has pleaded no contest to possessing child pornography and stealing guns from the Hays Police Department.
On Monday, Blaine D. Dryden, Hays, entered no contest pleas in Ellis County District Court to aggravated internet trading of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child and theft of a firearm. As a result, he was found guilty on all three charges by Chief Judge Glenn Braun.
Under the plea agreement, Dryden faces a minimum of 91 months, or more than seven and a half years in prison.
Dryden was originally charged with aggravated internet trading of child pornography and seven counts of sexual exploitation of a child, with the additional charge of theft of a firearm.
According to information presented at Tuesday’s hearing by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, which is handling the case, in November 2019 the Hays Police Department received a tip about child pornography being shared through Facebook.
The investigation led officers to a location in the 1600 block of West 29th in Hays. After it was determined that Dryden resided at the residence, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation was called to handle the investigation.
Dryden was employed with the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office at the time and served as a lieutenant with the department until June 16, 2020. He worked for the sheriff’s department for nearly six and a half years.
The Kansas Attorney General’s office said Dryden uploaded and sent a sexual image of a young girl to a woman in Nebraska.
During the investigation, Dryden admitted to uploading the image to law enforcement officials. They also discovered similar images and several electronic devices at Dryden’s Hays residence.
After the investigation was complete, law enforcement officials served a second search warrant at the same location in the 1600 block of West 29th in April in connection with firearms stolen from the Hays Police Department.
The state attorney general’s office determined that Dryden was in possession of four guns connected to Hays Police Department investigations.
Dryden had falsified paperwork claiming he had destroyed the guns when, in fact, he did not, the attorney general's office said.
Sentencing will be scheduled for later this year, and Dryden was remanded to the Ellis County jail