Waynesboro man, 23, headed to prison after being caught with child porn
WAYNESBORO — A man caught with a collection of child pornography in 2021 is headed to prison after being sentenced Friday in Waynesboro Circuit Court.
Juan A. Gonzalez, 23, of Waynesboro, was sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars on 10 charges of possessing child porn and one charge of possessing child porn (second offense).
Authorities charged Gonzalez in December 2021 after the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force alerted authorities that child pornography was downloaded through his Discord account, according to Waynesboro Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Elysse Stolpe.
The Waynesboro Police Department Investigations Division probed the allegations and executed a search at Gonzalez's residence on Pelham Drive in Waynesboro, where several pieces of electronic equipment were seized.
Stolpe said police found child porn that was downloaded through his Discord account, but Stolpe said they also discovered communications between Gonzalez and a person in France who sent him a nude photo of his younger sister.
"And the two of them proceeded to have a long conversation about fantasizing about how to commit sex offenses against this 9-year-old girl," Stolpe said. The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was alerted, she said.
Child porn was also found on Gonzalez's Kik app, the prosecutor said. In all, police seized more than 100 images of child porn.
"He admitted they were all his," Stolpe said.
Besides the nearly six years in prison, Gonzalez, who had remained free on bond until Friday's convictions, will be registered as a sex offender and must undergo sex offender treatment, according to Stolpe.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Waynesboro man headed to prison after being caught with child porn
