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December 08, 2004
Area man pleads guilty to abuse, child porn
By Jennifer Harr, Herald-Standard
A South Connellsville man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three children and taking pornographic pictures of youngsters, but said he might not have done so were his personal life different.
"I've never been married or had children of my own," said John T. Stagner Jr. "If I had a wife or a girlfriend my own age, I might not have done it."
Stagner, 45, also apologized for what he did to the children between Jan. 1, 1999, and March 15, 2004.
After that statement, deputy prosecutor Phyllis A. Jin asked Judge Gerald R. Solomon to order a Megan's Law assessment to determine if Stagner is a sexually violent predator. Solomon agreed to order the assessment.
Stagner pleaded guilty generally to three counts each of sexual abuse of children, possessing child pornography, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors and indecent assault. He pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated indecent assault.
Since Stagner pleaded generally, his sentence will be up to the judge. If Solomon sentences Stagner to maximum consecutive terms for each of the offenses, he could face over 100 years behind bars.
State police trooper Jeffrey Ramsey charged Stagner after a health care worker taking care of Stagner's mother at their Cramer Avenue home saw numerous pictures of child pornography there. The pictures were near Stagner's computer in the basement. The aide was going downstairs to do laundry and the pictures were in plain view.
The woman called police, who found 23 Polaroid photos and five sheets of photos that appeared to be computer generated.
The pictures contained images of Stagner abusing children ages 6, 10 and 13.
Although Stagner's sentence is scheduled for Jan. 31, it could be delayed if the state Sexual Offender Assessment Board has not completed the Megan's Law evaluation. The board examines the records in certain sex abuse cases to determine if the offender should be classified as a sexually violent predator.
Such a classification could mean a lifetime of community notification.
Before this plea, Stagner tried twice to do so, but Solomon rejected his pleas both times. On Monday, Stagner claimed his attorney, deputy public defender David Kaiser, didn't spend enough time with him on the case. And on Tuesday morning, he told the judge he wanted to have motions filed in the case.
Posted by Nealus at December 8, 2004 01:25 PM
