In a case that’s shaking up Kansas law-enforcement circles, former police chief Joel Womochil, 39-years-old and once at the helm of the Burns Police Department, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for his role in a disturbing child-exploitation conspiracy.
Womochil pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child-production of child pornography, each count carrying a 30-year prison term set to run consecutively. The plea and sentencing came after investigations revealed his role as the central figure in two separate conspiracies spanning from 2019 to 2021.
In the first conspiracy, law-enforcement detail the former chief met an Indiana woman, 40-year-old Denise Ray Sandmann, online, and persuaded her to create images of a child under five engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Sandmann then sent those images to Womochil, who stored them on his hard drive. She too pleaded guilty and faces up to 60 years in prison.
In a second strand of the case, a Kansas man, 33-year-old Taylor Mullen, and his partner, 38-year-old Jessica Quave, admitted to creating videos in 2021 of themselves engaging in explicit acts with a child under six, and forwarding those videos to Womochil. Mullen was sentenced to 30 years; Quave likewise pled guilty.
Although earlier local records listed state-level charges for Womochil—24 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and 10 counts of aggravated internet trading of child pornography—the federal case superseded that with the conspiracy charges. The investigation involved the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Homeland Security Investigations, and other federal and local agencies.
The sentencing judge, John W. Broomes, also ordered restitution of over $529,000 and strongly recommended placement of Womochil in a facility with a Sex Offender Management Program. For the community of Burns and beyond, the case marks a profound betrayal of public trust — especially given the defendant’s former sworn duty to protect.
As authorities continue to parse seized electronics and digital traces for additional evidence, the federal case appears to bring closure to a wider investigative net the local press had previously referenced but not fully detailed. The story is a grim reminder: positions of authority offer no shield when unlawful, abusive choices are made.