College volleyball coach avoids prison time after child porn conviction

Steve Payne escaped prison time on a child porn conviction. (Indianapolis police)
Steve Payne escaped prison time on a child porn conviction. (Indianapolis police)

In March, longtime IUPUI women’s volleyball coach Steve Payne pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of child pornography.

On Friday, the Indianapolis Star reported that he received a sentence of four years of probation following a suspended four-year prison sentence, escaping prison time after police say they found sexually explicit images and videos of young girls in his possession.

Payne pleaded down from 11 charges to 1

Payne originally faced 11 felony child pornography charges, according to the Star. He reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to the most serious charge of possession of child pornography with an aggravating factor, a level 5 felony.

The aggravating factor indicates that the pornography had a more exploitative nature, according to the report.

Judge explains lack of prison time

The judge in the case Grant W. Hawkins explained his decision to not send Payne to prison to the Star.

“This gives me control over him for a longer period of time," Hawkins said. "Four years of probation is four years of probation. It can't be reduced."

The report is not clear on how much prison time Payne could have realistically faced, but notes that the level 5 felony has a sentencing range of one to six years, per Indiana law.

During his probation, Payne will be subject to polygraph testing and searches and barred from access to the internet, the Star reports.

Prosecutors argued for prison time

The Marion County prosecutor’s office disagreed with Hawkins’ decision. Spokesman Michael Leffler told the Star that his office argued for prison time.

“The state argued that the defendant should serve his sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction,” Leffler said. “Ultimately, the court imposed a four-year suspended sentence followed by four years of probation.”

Hawkins told the Star that Payne will also endure the punishment of having his life “ruined.”

"In addition to this sentence, his life is ruined," Hawkins said. "He won’t work in his field. He won't coach. He won't work in education. He will have to find something else to do for a career."

Judge downplayed possession vs. production

Hawkins also told the Star that he took into consideration that Payne was not the producer of the pornography.

"With possession, there is a separator between him and the victim," he said. "With the other, the victim is in the room. That's a whole different deal."

Payne was the volleyball coach at IUPUI for 22 years before he was arrested in November and fired.

According to the Star, police found two thumb drives that had 146 images and videos of child pornography on his possession when he was arrested.

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