A Des Moines man pleaded guilty on May 1 to three counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to public court documents, Tyler Boyd Pavlick, age 33, placed a mini video camera in the tank of a porta-potty at three Central Iowa events: co-ed middle school and high school cross-country meets held in State Center on September 23, 2025, and Osceola on September 30, 2025; as well as an arts, craft, and harvest event in Des Moines on October 4, 2025. The cameras were placed with the intent to create visual depictions of minors lasciviously exhibiting their anus, genitals or pubic area. Law enforcement searched Pavlick’s residence in Des Moines on October 15, 2025. Officers seized electronic devices including mini cameras matching those found at the event sites. One device contained video footage showing minors using the porta-potty at the Osceola event; among those filmed was a minor under age twelve.
Pavlick is scheduled for sentencing on July 31 at 9:15 a.m. Each count of attempted sexual exploitation carries a mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years up to thirty years in prison. The possession charge carries up to twenty years’ imprisonment. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of United States sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman for the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement regarding this case. Agencies involved in investigating include the FBI Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Des Moines Police Department and Iowa DCI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Kerndt is prosecuting.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa supports victims and witnesses through its services unit according to its official website. The office uses facilities located in the Neal Smith Federal Building in Des Moines as well as courthouses in Davenport and Council Bluffs according to its official website. Operating under the United States Department of Justice according to its official website, it has twenty-four prosecutors working within its jurisdiction according to its official website.
The office handles both civil and criminal cases for the United States according to its official website covering matters throughout southern Iowa according to its official website. It manages federal criminal prosecutions along with civil litigation while partnering with law enforcement agencies across multiple locations including Des Moines, Davenport and Council Bluffs; these efforts are supported by twenty-four prosecutors according to its official website.
