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Former Kokomo teacher gets 14 years in child exploitation, pornography case

Kokomo Tribune - 9/2/2021

Sep. 3—A former Elwood Haynes teacher accused of possession of child pornography was sentenced to 14 years in the Indiana Department of Correction — 11 years in jail and three years suspended to supervised probation — during a sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon inside Howard County Superior 4.

Brian Lee Jakes, 49, was arrested in April on four Level 4 felony counts of child exploitation and 10 Level 5 felony counts of possession of child pornography, and he pleaded guilty earlier this summer to each of those charges.

Per the sentencing guidelines, the four child exploitation charges will run concurrently with each other, as will the 10 charges of possession of child pornography.

Those two groups of sentences will then run consecutively with each other.

Jakes will also have to register as a sex offender for life, per the sentencing.

In making his decision, Judge Hans Pate told the court that the aggravating factors — such as the fact that Jakes was a school teacher at the time and that the victims were all under 12 years old — far outweighed the mitigating factors of Jakes' lack of criminal history and his agreement to plead guilty.

During Thursday's sentencing, Jakes also took a few moments to address the court through a video call from the Howard County Jail and expressed remorse for his role in the investigation, saying that he understood the crime he was involved in was not "victimless."

"I do not know why I am the way I am," he stated. "... I will do my part to not be part of the further exploitation of children. ... I cannot change the past. All I can do is apologize and try to be a better human being moving forward."

Jakes' charges stem from an investigation that began in February after detectives with the Kokomo Police Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

A probable cause affidavit at the time indicated the tip was generated by the instant messaging app Kik and included one attached video depicting a pre-pubescent female involved in sexual relations with an adult male.

The same tip also noted that the Kik account — which was eventually traced to Jakes' residence — had allegedly uploaded 12 videos of sexual abuse material and child pornography to a chat group on the app's platform.

As part of the investigation, Det. Michael Sewall of the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin — which was working alongside KPD and the FBI — reportedly conducted an undercover operation in which he attempted to gain access to the chat group, court documents indicated.

After successfully doing so, the account allegedly used by Jakes then sent out pictures and videos of child pornography, several of which appeared to depict children as young as 4 engaged in sexually explicit acts.

In mid-April, police conducted a search of Jakes' residence in the 1300 block of Arundel Drive, where they seized several electronic devices, court records stated at the time.

There was also a brief time where Jakes appeared to go missing, court documents noted, and police later located him April 15 at a farm property in rural Howard County, where he had apparently slit his wrists and wrote "I'm sorry" in blood on one of his vehicle's windows.

Authorities also located a noose they believe Jakes hung over one of the rafters inside a nearby barn, an affidavit stated, though investigators do not believe Jakes attempted to use it.

Kokomo Center Schools put Jakes on leave shortly after his arrest in April.

Kim Dunlap can be reached at 765-860-3256 or at kim.dunlap@kokomotribune.com.

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