Tompkins County prosecutors are recommending that a repeat sex offender who was convicted of possessing child pornography last week be given the maximum sentence.
Chris Slater, 51, pleaded guilty to possessing a photograph showing a female younger than 16 years old engaging in sexual conduct — a class E felony — in Tompkins County Court Thursday, according to The Ithaca Journal.
County prosecutors recommended that Slater serve at least 11 years in prison, The Journal reported.
Slater’s court appearance Thursday was not the first time he has faced the legal system for charges related to sexual crimes.
In 2002 and 2004, Slater was convicted of second-degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor, according to The Ithaca Journal. He allegedly abused 12-year-old males, The Journal reported.
After being convicted of the sexual abuse charges, Slater was sentenced in 2011 to serve six months in jail and a five-year probation for failing to register as a sex offender, according to The Journal.
The Journal reported that, while Slater told police he was living in Newfield, N.Y., Tompkins County sheriff’s deputies found that Slater was in fact living elsewhere, in Freeville, N.Y.
Slater then allegedly violated the terms of his probation by failing to participate in the Sexual Offender Accountability and Responsibility program, a treatment program for persons convicted of sexual crimes. He was subsequently expelled from the treatment program, The Journal reported.
In addition to violating his probation, Slater was reportedly found to possess pornographic videos, magazines and photos — which led deputy and probation officials to deliver a warrant for a home search in June, according to The Journal.
In the search, the officials reportedly found a pornographic picture in a ziplock bag stored in Slater’s wallet, according to The Journal.
Slater faces sentencing in May.
Original Author: Akane Otani