San Antonio-area man who worked with nonverbal kids sentenced to prison for child pornography

A local man who worked with nonverbal kids at a treatment center was sentenced to prison after he sent child pornography to an undercover agent.

Federal authorities said 38-year-old Kyle Ross Rivers, from Garden Ridge, was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on Tuesday and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to victims. He was also given 10 years of supervised release.

Rivers worked with nonverbal children at the Residential Autism Treatment Center at the time of his arrest, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He sent child pornography to an undercover agent in a group chat on social media, authorities said. Investigators then discovered that Rivers possessed thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused.

He pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on Aug. 23.

“The sexual abuse of children is horrific and individuals like Mr. Rivers who traffic in this despicable material continue the exploitation of these innocent children,” Ashley C. Hoff, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, said in the release. “The sentence imposed by the court reflects the gravity of the offense committed.”

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