Pediatric nurse sentenced to jail, probation for possession of child sex abuse material

SALT LAKE CITY — A pediatric nurse was sentenced to jail and probation after admitting to having more than 10 child sex abuse images on his phone.

He pleaded guilty in March to possessing the photos and trying to break his phone when officers arrived with a warrant so they would not be able to find the images.

Lance Aaron Putnam, 29, was sentenced on May 5 to 10 terms of one to 15 years in prison for 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and a term of zero to five years for obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony.

Each of those prison terms were suspended, however, and the judge instead ordered him to spend 210 days in jail, with credit for the 81 days he served prior to posting bail, and four years of probation.

The judge also ordered him to not have any internet access and to participate in family counseling.

In January 2025, a social media company filed a report with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an account that uploaded and distributed child sexual abuse material. The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force received that report and began an investigation.

Putnam admitted to sending and receiving the images on several social media pages shortly after being detained, and "admitted to distributing child sex abuse material thousands of times," according to charging documents.

Putnam worked as a nurse at a pediatric hospital with access to children the same ages as those in the child sex abuse material, police say. Since his arrest, he has been incarcerated and has not worked as a nurse.

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Emily Ashcraft

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Emily Ashcraft is a reporter for KSL. She covers issues in state courts, health and religion. In her spare time, Emily enjoys crafting, cycling and raising chickens.