A Grove man has been sentenced for possession and production of child sexual abuse material, as announced by U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. Dakota Austin Clark, aged 24, received a sentence of 240 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill. Upon his release, Clark will be required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation revealed that in February 2023, Clark communicated with a 14-year-old via social media and coerced the minor into producing sexually explicit photos. Law enforcement found hundreds of images depicting the sexual abuse of minors in Clark’s possession.
Clark is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and will remain in custody until he is transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Grove Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris prosecuted the case.
This sentencing is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute offenders while identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice.gov/PSC.
