Sioux Falls man with previous child pornography convictions changes plea in new case

A Sioux Falls man pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to possession of child pornography in late January, according to South Dakota’s online electronic court filing system.

Matthew Lee Mierkey, 59, was arrested at the end of October on child pornography charges, according to previous reporting from the Argus Leader.

He pleaded guilty Jan. 23 to two counts of habitual offender possessing child pornography and one count of habitual offender, according to court documents.

Mierkey was initially set for a change of plea hearing on Feb. 10, according to court documents.

Mierkey was previously convicted on 30 counts of possessing child pornography in 2002, according to previous reporting. Mierkey was already a habitual offender at the time of the 2002 case.

In 2002, Mierkey was sentenced to at least 60 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary for the conviction, according to previous reporting. Mierkey was on active parole at the time of the 2024 incident, according the South Dakota Department of Corrections offender locator.

A sentencing hearing is not yet set in Mierkey’s case.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls man with previous child porn convictions changes plea