Former jail officer faces child sex charges
By Richard Burkard richardemporia.com Jan 26, 2023 Updated Jan 27, 2023
A one-time officer at the Chase County Jail is accused of sexually exploiting a child in Emporia.
Chad Pretzer, 30, made his first appearance in Lyon County District Court Thursday afternoon. He faces three counts of sexually exploiting a child.
Prosecutors say one count involves employing the child in sexually explicit conduct with the intent to promote a performance.
The other two counts involve sexual media. A report released by Emporia Police Thursday suggested Pretzer had unlawful possession of [a] visual depiction of [a] child 12-16 years old.
Prosecutors believe Pretzer exploited the child last Saturday night. He was booked into jail Monday night.
Pretzers LinkedIn profile indicates he worked at the Chase County Jail as a correctional officer for nearly a year in 2017-18.
But court records show Pretzer has had trouble with the law since then. For instance, a complaint filed in Butler County District Court last week accuses him of a burglary in Augusta last March.
Pretzer pleaded no contest in Chase County last June to possessing stolen property and was sentenced to eight months probation. That followed a no contest plea in Chase County in November 2021 to conspiracy theft.
Pretzer was held in the Lyon County Jail Thursday afternoon on $20,000 bond.