Butler man sentenced for child pornography
A 34-year-old Butler man was sentenced Wednesday to a total of five years probation along with fines for downloading child pornography.
Visiting Judge Timothy Creany sentenced John Paul Doerr for 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.
In total, Doerr was sentenced to five years probation with the first six months on modified house arrest with electronic monitoring. However, Creany noted the house arrest will be lifted if Doerr gets a job.
Doerr must also pay $1,950 in fines and he must register as a Tier I sex offender for up to 15 years. Under the state's Megan's law, state police are authorized to create and maintain a state registry of sexual offenders. There are three tiers in the law, with Tier III requiring a lifetime registration and Tier II having a 25-year registration. The state's Sexual Offenders Assessment Board determines which tier an offender will be placed under.
The board's report was sealed from public view after Doerr's lawyer, Michael Pawk, made the request, citing private health information in the report that would violate Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws if it was made public.
Additionally, Doerr's internet access will be monitored for two years.
Creany was brought in from Cambria County after all the Butler County judges recused themselves from the case, citing Doerr's connection to his father, President Judge Thomas Doerr. And the Butler County District Attorney made a similar decision, deferring prosecution in the case to Senior Deputy Attorney General Chuck Washburn with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
“It's a standard sentence. This is typical in these types of cases,” Washburn said after sentencing. “It's average.”
Doerr originally faced 42 felonies related to child pornography stemming from his January 2019 arrest. Doerr admitted to investigators that he downloaded pornographic videos involving children onto his home computer. Charging documents reveal state police arrested him following an undercover investigation into the sharing of child pornography on the internet.
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.
After pleading guilty in November 2019, he faced up to 252 years of prison in accordance with sentencing guidelines. Doerr was originally scheduled to be sentenced March 13, but that date was rescheduled over coronavirus pandemic precautions.
“This case continues to come into my mind,” Creany said. “As I reflect on the case, it can't be said this is a victimless case. There are victims. The industry you tapped into is a sordid and reprehensible industry. Your conduct fosters it by making it economically viable.”
But, he said, Doerr had done “the right thing” even before charges were filed against him.
“You stopped on your own,” Creany said. “There was a very short window of this activity and you've sought and participated in treatment. I feel comfortable with this sentence I've crafted.”
Pawk said during the hearing that his client suffers from anxiety and depression and he is attending sex offender therapy.
“He's done extremely well in pretrial supervision,” Pawk said.
Doerr also spoke at the hearing, telling the judge that he was sorry for wasting the court's time on this case.
“I want to further acknowledge what I did was wrong and illegal,” he said. “I'll do my best to make sure I'm a valuable member of society and never do this again.”
