A Howland man is going to prison for 12 to 15 years in prison after pleaded guilty earlier to 18 counts in a child pornography case.

Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean O'Brien handed down the sentence on Wednesday to 37-year-old Jeffrey Barton of Englewood Street, NE. Barton was also declared a Tier Two Sex Offender.

Barton pleaded guilty to nine counts of pandering sex-oriented material involving a minor, eight counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance, and one misdemeanor count of dissemination of private sexual images.

Barton apologized to his friends, family and community in court.

“My several years long struggle with mental illness has left me with nothing but pain, sadness and regret,” Barton said to the judge before his sentence was handed down. ”Regret for the grief I've caused so many and regret for the struggles that led me to make such decisions.”

Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) and Howland Police served a search warrant on a home in mid-December near the Howland High School on Monday. They arrested Barton for the second time in a year on child porn allegations.

Barton was indicted in March as part of an investigation into sex crimes involving babies and toddlers.

According to the police report, Howland police took the following items from the home, including: a handheld gaming system, two flip phones, two handheld electronic reading devices and one electronic tablet.

It was discovered that Barton downloaded internet -based child pornography on his electronic devices, Attorney Gabe Wildman stated, and he also shared private sexual images of females without their consent. One woman spoke in court saying Barton shared private images of her online ten years ago that continue to haunt her.

“I’ve spent years trying to reclaim my life but the damage cannot be undone. The emotional and psychological scars run deep and the fear of further exposure never truly fades,” the woman said.

Wildman stated none of the charges against Barton involved the production of child pornography.