Ryan Bobby Schnettler, a 34-year-old resident of Benwood, West Virginia, has confessed to possessing child pornography. The admission was made in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Court documents reveal that Schnettler was already under supervision due to a previous sex offense conviction. During a home visit by officers, undocumented phones were discovered and subsequently seized. Schnettler confessed to entering chat rooms under the guise of being a 17-year-old male to communicate with minors. Upon obtaining a search warrant for the confiscated phones, law enforcement found hundreds of images depicting child sexual abuse material. Additionally, screenshots of chats with minor females were uncovered.
Schnettler is facing a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will take into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin on behalf of the government. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Probation Office. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided over the proceedings.