A former Larchwood man has been sentenced in Lyon County District Court on multiple charges involving sexual exploitation of a minor.
Investigation Details
According to Lyon County Attorney Nolan McGowan, 31-year-old Brandon Louis Church, of Medford, Minnesota, formerly of Larchwood, was sentenced May 12th after pleading guilty under a plea agreement with the State.
Church pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, purchase or possession of a depiction of a minor in a sex act, first offense. Those charges are aggravated misdemeanors. He also pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class D felony.
McGowan says the case began on or about November 23rd, 2022, when Church distributed a video file of a minor child engaged in a prohibited sexual act with an unknown adult male. According to the release, the video was distributed from Church’s Snapchat account, which was connected to secure Wi-Fi at his residence on Geiser Street in Larchwood.
The activity was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by Snapchat. NCMEC then contacted the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations.
Church was originally arrested in November of 2025 after investigators alleged he possessed and distributed multiple images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexual conduct. Court records show the case was later resolved through a plea agreement.
Sentencing Details
For the four aggravated misdemeanor counts, the court sentenced Church to 90 days in jail on each count, with all but 30 days suspended on each count, for a total of 120 days in the Lyon County Jail. He was also ordered to pay fines, surcharges, court costs, a sex offense civil penalty, victim restitution, and a sex offender registration fee.
For the Class D felony count, Church was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of up to five years. That sentence was suspended, and he was placed on probation for two years.
Additional Requirements
Church must also complete a sex offender evaluation and follow all recommendations, serve a 10-year special sentence with the Iowa Department of Corrections after completing the listed sentences, and register as a sex offender for 10 years.
The Lyon County Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations.
