Man, 73, faces house arrest for possessing child porn
NORRISTOWN » A Lower Merion man who admitted to possessing child pornography on computer equipment at his home will be under court supervision for several years.
Christopher Z. Lawrence, 73, of the 1000 block of City Avenue, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Wednesday to 23 months in the county’s Intermediate Punishment Program, the first nine months to be spent under house arrest. Lawrence will serve the remainder of the sentence under intensive probation, specifically monitored by the probation department’s sex offender supervision division.
While under house arrest, Lawrence will be permitted to leave his home only for court-approved reasons and his Internet and computer usage also is likely to be restricted.
Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who accepted a negotiated sentence agreement, also ordered Lawrence to complete three years’ probation, meaning Lawrence will be under court supervision for a total of 59 months.
“He abides by every single rule of house arrest,” O’Neill warned Lawrence. “As probation sees fit, they will impose different limitations. You will have restrictions as to where you may and where you may not go.”
Lawrence also will be listed as a registered sex offender and he will have to report his address to state police for the next 15 years.
Lawrence pleaded guilty earlier this year to a felony charge of possessing child pornography in connection with an October 2016 incident.
Lawrence was evaluated by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which determined he did not meet criteria to be classified as a sexually violent predator, according to testimony.
“The reality is that every time one of these images is traded or downloaded or viewed by anybody that would choose to do that they are abusing that child
all over again,” said Assistant District Attorney M. Stewart Ryan, explaining the egregiousness of those who possess child porn. “We look at these cases very seriously.”
An investigation of Lawrence began last summer when county detectives received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding possible child pornography being uploaded via the Internet by a Wynnewood area resident. The images depicted girls between 8- and 12-years-old in sexually suggestive poses, according to the criminal complaint.
County detectives determined the address of the Internet subscriber and obtained a warrant to search Lawrence’s home. During that search on Oct. 19, 2016, detectives confiscated numerous computer components including a laptop and external hard drives, according to the arrest affidavit filed by county Detective Michael Shade.
Lawrence was home at the time of the search and he told detectives he had been using his laptop computer and was aware of child pornography uploads.
“He stated all items we were seeking via the search warrant would be found in a nearby bedroom that was converted into an office setting,” Shade alleged.
A forensic examination of the computer equipment uncovered a total of 50 images depicting children under the age of 18 posing naked or engaged in sexual acts, according to the criminal complaint.