Former OhioHealth Medical Director Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A former OhioHealth doctor pleaded guilty Friday to possession of child pornography.

Garrett Norvell, 44, of Westerville, appeared in federal court Friday morning to answer a charge that he knowingly possessed child pornography in February 2022, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

According to court documents, in 2020, Homeland Security Investigations conducted an international investigation targeting offenders using dark web sites dedicated to child sexual abuse and exploitation. In the process, HSI Boston and the FBI obtained information from his IP address that showed Norvell had an account for a website offering child pornography of girls ages 14 and 4 in April 2019, according to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker.

Parker said HSI agents and the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant on Norvell’s person in February 2022 at the Emergency Care Center at OhioHealth in Ashland, where Norvell worked as medical director at the time of the investigation. Agents seized his electronics, and forensic analysis of the devices revealed at least 18 files containing child pornography, including “Pre-Teen Hard Core” content, Parker said.

Norvell was removed from his position at OhioHealth less than a week after the search warrant. He had previously worked as an emergency physician, also at OhioHealth. Norvell was also investigated by the State Medical Board of Ohio, Parker said, and he permanently relinquished his medical license in March 2022.

According to Parker, Norvell admitted to being addicted to child pornography, which he said he had been watching since he was about 21. Parker said Norvell revealed that the youngest victim he had viewed was a baby.

According to court documents, Norvell waived his right to be prosecuted by indictment and was instead charged by information letter. Norvell will be sentenced at a later date, which was not available at the time of publication.