Man arrested on child porn charges

MIDDLETOWN — A city man who allegedly spent months communicating by email with an undercover state police detective about meeting up with an underage prostitute, then was found with 28 images of suspected child pornography on his computer, was arrested this week, police said.

Michael A. Pillarella, 51, of Oak Street, is charged with possession of child pornography and criminal attempt at sexual assault, both in the second degree, state police said in a release.

The case that resulted in the arrest began in August 2016, when a state police detective working undercover on child exploitation investigations created an ad on an unnamed website, implying the availability of an underage prostitute, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Communications then began with a person who used the identity “Silver Fox” and allegedly wanted to meet up with a child for sex, the warrant affidavit says.

Communications continued over subsequent months and, with the assistance of Middletown and Guilford police, state police were able to identify Pillarella as the person with whom the detective had exchanged emails about a trafficked child, according to the warrant affidavit. Using a search warrant at Pillarella’s home, state police in 2017 seized electronic items and a forensic report obtained this year revealed 28 unique images of suspected child pornography, the warrant affidavit says.