Woman charged with making child porn appears in court

A woman arrested two years ago after she was accused of taking sexually explicit photographs of a toddler appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday.

After listening to testimony, Cheyenne County Court Judge Randin Roland ruled there was sufficient probable cause to send the matter to district court, where felony cases are heard.

Kristen Gulley, 30, of Sterling, Colo., is charged with five felony counts of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct of a minor. Roland dismissed two additional counts after Gulley's attorney, Michael Snyder, argued the state was unable to produce suitable evidence to support the allegations.

Gulley is alleged to have sent the pictures to Levi Hallett of Sidney. In September, he was ordered by a federal court to serve 27 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a charge of producing child pornography.

Another woman allegedly connected to the case, Brandee Christensen, of Sterling, last summer pleaded no contest to one count of attempted visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct. She was sentenced by a Cheyenne County court to serve 15-25 years in prison. According to court documents, a condition of the plea agreement Christensen struck with prosecutors is that she testifies against Gulley.

The three were initially arrested in 2013 after tips from the public led the Sidney Police Department to open an investigation, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Hallett's residence in Sidney was searched after an informant reported Hallett admitted he had received nude photographs of underage girls on his cell phone, the document adds, and graphic photos were later discovered on Hallett's phone of "what appears to be a toddler-aged female child."

In additional interviews, Hallett told investigators he received the photos from Gulley, with whom he said he had been engaged in a sexual relationship, and Christensen.

According to police, both women later admitted to taking and sending photographs of the toddler.

The proceedings against Gulley in Cheyenne County were delayed as she faced a similar court case in Logan County, Colo.

In August, Gulley pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, according to court documents from that state. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 15 years of probation.

Gulley is scheduled to appear for arraignment in Cheyenne County District Court at 10 a.m. on Dec. 12. She is currently being held on a $200,000 bond.