A 27-year-old Old Forge man will spend 18½ to 45 years in state prison after being convicted of 45 counts related to child sexual abuse material, officials from the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office announced Thursday.
Police arrested Sterling Barnes last year after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Google and Dropbox Inc. regarding suspected child sexual abuse material being viewed and uploaded at his residence, officials said.
After executing a search warrant, investigators found several chats showing Barnes communicating with unknown individuals seeking child sexual abuse material, officials added.
During an interview with investigators, Barnes admitted viewing and uploading child sexual abuse material from social media platforms, primarily Telegram, and paying to receive those images, prosecutors said.
“Crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography remain a top priority for our law enforcement team in Lackawanna County,” District Attorney Brian Gallagher said. “(This) sentence sends a clear message that those who prey upon and exploit children online will be aggressively investigated, prosecuted, and held fully accountable. We will continue working every day with our law enforcement partners to protect children and keep these predators out of our communities.”
County Detectives Jack Kane and Sheryl Turner, and members of the Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Computer Crimes Task Force, investigated the case. Judge Andy Jarbola handed down the sentence.
Upon his release from prison, Barnes must register as a sex offender annually with the state police under the state’s Sexual Offenders Registration and Notification Act, officials said.