Butler man pleads guilty to child pornography charges, faces 252 years in prison
A Butler man pleaded guilty Tuesday to more than 30 counts of possessing child pornography.
John Paul Doerr III, 33, pleaded guilty to the majority of felony child pornography charges filed against him in January. He faces up to 252 years in jail when sentenced on March 13.
Doerr originally faced 42 felonies related to child pornography stemming from his Jan. 16 arrest. Doerr admitted to investigators he downloaded pornographic videos involving children onto his home computer last year, according to authorities. Charging documents reveal state police arrested him following an undercover investigation into the sharing of child pornography on the internet.
The case was being handled by prosecutors from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop six charges of disseminating photos or films depicting child sex acts. In exchange, Doerr pleaded guilty to 35 counts of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, which refers to the computer Doerr used to collect child pornography.
A sentencing agreement has not been reached, leaving sentencing up to visiting Judge Timothy Creany. Based on sentencing guidelines, Creany told Doerr in court that he faces a maximum of 252 years in prison.
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