Congressional Staffer Sentenced for Child Sex Charges

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) – A former staffer for U.S. Representative Tim Huelskamp has been sentenced to 12 months in prison in a Kansas child- sex case.

Matthew Pennell was sentenced Friday in Ford County after admitting to two of the 17 child sexual exploitation counts he was charged with in March. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports that Pennell also will be required to register as a sex offender and complete a treatment program.

The affidavit says Pennell was in possession of child pornography.

Huelskamp’s chief of staff, Mark Kelly, said in an initial statement that Pennell had been placed on unpaid leave. In a later statement Kelly said Pennell no longer worked for the Republican congressman and that staff members were "shocked and saddened."

Huelskamp represents Kansas’ 1st Congressional District.