Charleston man arrested for child pornography

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Charleston man has been sentenced to four years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.

Cory Thomas, 33, of Charleston, was sentenced Thursday. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

Court documents and statements made in court show that police officers searched Thomas’ Charleston home on February 7 and seized his cellphone and other electronic devices.

After analyzing those devices, it was discovered that there were at least 109 digital files containing child abuse material, 75 of which were videos. The images and videos depicted prepubescent minors being subjected to sadistic or masochistic behavior and the exploitation of toddlers.

Thomas was working as a counselor at a public elementary school through a subcontractor when he was arrested. He had previously worked as a substitute teacher.

The investigation did not reveal whether any criminal acts had taken place involving students at Thomas’ workplaces.

US Attorney General Will Thompson made the announcement and praised the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their investigative work.

U.S. District Judge Irene Berger imposed the sentence, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Redmon prosecuted the case.