By Shereen Siewert
A 32- year-old Weston man who police say uploaded thousands of graphic child pornography images through a peer-to-peer file sharing network will spend nine months in jail, after he was convicted Friday of possessing child pornography.
Jacob Wilharms had 13,153 images and 355 videos depicting child pornography on two encrypted hard drives in his Alex Street home, according to the criminal complaint. The children depicted in the scenes ranged in age from 5 to 12 years old.
Wilharms faced 23 counts of possession of child pornography and a single count of child sexual exploitation in Marathon County Circuit Court. All but three of the charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. Wilharms pleaded guilty to the remaining three counts on Friday.
Circuit Judge Greg Huber sentenced Wilharms to three years in prison but imposed and stayed that sentence, while ordering Wilharms to spend nine months in jail and five years on probation. The three-year prison term won’t be served unless Wilharms’ probation is revoked.
Police searched Wilharms’ home on May 2 as part of a peer-to-peer file sharing investigation, according to the criminal complaint. While peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are used by many people who like to share music, graphics, images and movies, they are also commonly used by offenders to share child pornography, authorities say.
Wilharms is free on bond but is required to report to jail within 45 days. He is also required to undergo counseling and will register as a sex offender, according to court records.
