Havelock man gets 10 years in fed pen for child porn

NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) - A Havelock man will spend the next ten years in federal prison on child porn charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Melvin Wetzel was sentenced today in New Bern.

Back in March, the 74-year-old man pled guilty to possession of child pornography.

The feds say Havelock police were conducting a proactive investigation into the trading of child porn on peer-to-peer networks. They said between July 16, 2020 and July 20, 2020, authorities were able to download eight videos showing child sexual abuse from a computer associated with Wetzel’s I.P. address.

Police searched the man’s home and said the man admitted to using a file-sharing program for child porn. A search found multiple images and videos, according to federal prosecutors.

In addition to 10 years in prison, Wetzel will be on supervised release for another 10 years.

In 2012, the man was convicted of child porn charges in Pitt County and served five months in state prison.

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