Man Sentenced to 85 Years in Prison for Child Porn
By: Ciara Brown
Updated: December 12, 2012
HAGERSTOWN, MD - A man who pleaded guilty to sexually molesting and making pornographic videos and images of a young girl over a five year period was sentenced in Washington County Circuit Court to 85 years in prison, according to court documents.
Joseph Charles Peer, 57, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty in July to four counts of sexual abuse of a minor, three counts of producing child pornography, perverted practice, sodomy, and one count of sex abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct.
In exchange for the plea, more than 50 related charges were dismissed.
According to court documents, the abuse became known in December 2011 after a co-worker of Peer's was shown a pornographic image of a young girl on Peer's computer at his home, on 1115 Oxford Circle.
The co-worker, Kevin Houck, says two months later he saw Peer with a 12-year-old girl he believed was the same person as in the image. A few more months went by before Houck reported it to Hagerstown Police.
Investigators at the Hagerstown Police Department were able to identify the minor and learned that Peer had responsibility for the supervision and care of the girl whenever she was with him. Police removed the girl from Peer's home and placed her in the custody of her mother.
According to court documents, the girl was later interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center and confirmed the sexual abuse had been going on since 2006. The young girl told police the abuse always occurred inside Peer's home.
A search of Peer's house resulted in the confiscation of computer storage equipment and DVDs that were examined for evidence by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Joseph Charles Peer, 57, of Hagerstown, pleaded guilty in July to four counts of sexual abuse of a minor, three counts of producing child pornography, perverted practice, sodomy, and one count of sex abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct.
In exchange for the plea, more than 50 related charges were dismissed.
According to court documents, the abuse became known in December 2011 after a co-worker of Peer's was shown a pornographic image of a young girl on Peer's computer at his home, on 1115 Oxford Circle.
The co-worker, Kevin Houck, says two months later he saw Peer with a 12-year-old girl he believed was the same person as in the image. A few more months went by before Houck reported it to Hagerstown Police.
Investigators at the Hagerstown Police Department were able to identify the minor and learned that Peer had responsibility for the supervision and care of the girl whenever she was with him. Police removed the girl from Peer's home and placed her in the custody of her mother.
According to court documents, the girl was later interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center and confirmed the sexual abuse had been going on since 2006. The young girl told police the abuse always occurred inside Peer's home.
A search of Peer's house resulted in the confiscation of computer storage equipment and DVDs that were examined for evidence by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Comments
People that do things like this to children deserve to be put to DEATH!!!
Brittany B.
December 12, 2012 at 2:53 pm
