Nov 6, 2015 2 min read

A Carroll Township man was sentenced to 18 to 60 months in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including 10 counts involving child pornography.

Tor Anthony Stanko, 39, of 24 Locust Grove Lane, was charged by the state attorney general’s office with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver, distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility. In July, Stanko entered into an open plea agreement to the charges against him, which left his sentence to the discretion of the judge.

He was sentenced Thursday by Washington County Judge Valarie Costanzo.

On Oct. 9, 2014, agents were conducting an investigation using a peer-to-peer file-sharing network when they located a computer sharing files of suspected child pornography. One of the files was a video almost seven minutes long that reportedly showed a young girl engaging in sexual acts and poses.

The following day, investigators received a court order directing the cable company to release information on the user associated with the Internet address, and were able to identify a possible residential address.

When agents executed the search warrant, Stanko was the only one inside the home. Multiple computers and other electronic media were taken from the residence. Child pornography media files were found on some computers.

Stanko reportedly admitted to downloading and viewing child pornography. He also told agents while he was ashamed to look for those videos because he knew it was wrong, he continued to do it, according to court documents.

Agents also found several containers with eight to 10 pounds of suspected marijuana that was sent to the state police crime laboratory for testing.

In addition to the prison sentence, Stanko was ordered to undergo a drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations. He must comply with any recommendations. Mark Shire, Stanko’s attorney, declined to comment but said his client must register as a sex offender.

Stanko, who is a paraplegic and uses a wheelchair, is free on $25,000 unsecured bond. He is required to report to the county jail Nov. 30, and will be transferred to a state facility to being his sentence.