A Butler man pleaded guilty Tuesday to more than 30 counts of possessing child pornography.

John Paul Doerr III, 33, admitted guilt 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 Tuesday that he faces a maximum of 252 years in prison. The judge further pointed out that Doerr's offenses will require him to register as a Tier I sex offender for up to 15 years.

A required review of Doerr's case will be completed by the state's Sexual Offender Assessment Board before his sentencing. Part of that review process determines under which tier an offender is listed.

The attorney general took over the case in January after Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger referred the case to the state for prosecution because Doerr is the son of Butler County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Thomas Doerr.

In an effort to maintain impartiality, local prosecutors and judges recused themselves from the case and referred it to the state.