Glassport man pleads guilty in federal court to having 'extensive collection' of child porn

Jul. 28—A Glassport man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to having what authorities described as an "extensive collection" of child pornography.

Rory Shelton, 58, is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 1 on a single count of child pornography possession, according to federal authorities.

Investigators were led to Shelton after a 16-year-old girl went missing from her Kentucky home in May 2019. She was found naked in Shelton's apartment and he was arrested May 8 on state charges including interference with custody of children.

Searches of his apartment and cell phone turned up numerous pieces of child pornography, according to federal authorities. Shelton was ordered to remain in custody pending sentencing in the federal case.

The girl was reported missing May 2, police said at the time. Police in Paducah, Ky. contacted authorities in Glassport that day to report that she had been communicating with a man in Pennsylvania prior to her disappearance. Security footage from Shelton's apartment building showed the girl enter with Shelton on May 3, police said.

During an interview with police, Shelton said he rented a car and picked the girl up after they had conversed over Instagram. He told investigators he cut off her court-appointed electronic monitoring bracelet before driving her back to his apartment.

Shelton was sentenced in state court to three to six years in a state prison followed by three years of probation, according to online court records. He pleaded guilty to interference with custody of a child, concealment of the whereabouts of a child and obstruction in October 2019.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .