Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 3, 2026
Defendant Sentenced to Eight Years for Child Sexual Abuse Materials
(ZANESVILLE, OH)
On April 1, 2026, Chase A. Doty, 26, of Zanesville, appeared in the Muskingum Court of Common Pleas to learn his fate after an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) investigation resulted in prosecution for Child Sexual Abuse Material.
Doty appeared before Judge Gerald Anderson and was sentenced to eight (8) years in prison. Anderson also ordered Doty to register as a Tier 2 sex offender. As a Tier 2 sex offender, once his prison term is completed, Doty will be required to register with the Sheriff’s Office every 180 days for 25 years.
Case Details:
ODNR launched their investigation on Chase Doty in November of 2025 after receiving reports of an individual spotlighting and illegally harvesting deer on private land. Wildlife Investigator Kirk Kiefer identified the suspect’s vehicle and located the driver of the vehicle, Chase Doty, shortly after.
Investigator Kiefer spoke with Doty who admitted to spotlighting and illegally harvesting deer. As a result, Doty’s phone was seized to retrieve evidence.
Investigators, following a forensic download of Doty’s phone, confirmed the wildlife violations. The phone extraction uncovered photos of deceased deer as well as files of child sexual abuse material.
The Zanesville Police Department was immediately notified, and a search warrant was obtained to seize the phone and extraction. Detectives analyzed the phone extraction and located files of child sexual abuse material on Doty’s phone.
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