LISBON — A man accused of possessing multiple images of child pornography was sentenced to 33 years in prison when he appeared for sentencing Thursday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court.

Barry Stephens, 64, whose last known local address was Depot Road, Salem, but also had a Streetsboro address, was originally scheduled to face sentencing in June. He entered guilty pleas in March to 51 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, one a second-degree felony and the rest all fourth-degree felonies.

He could have faced a possible maximum sentence of eight to 12 years for the second-degree felony count and 18 months each for the 50 fourth-degree felonies.

According to a police affidavit filed in Columbiana County Municipal Court, a search warrant was executed Feb. 29, 2024 at Stephens’ residence in Salem and a preview was conducted on the computer he used, allegedly revealing in excess of 2,000 images and videos depicting children, some appearing to be toddlers, engaged in sexual acts and in a state of nudity. Also, he had allegedly reproduced or published an image of a juvenile to Microsoft Bing which would be classified as obscene material on Nov. 28, 2022.

As part of his sentence, he was designated a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to report his address to the sheriff’s office of the county where he resides after his release for the sex offender registration every 180 days for 25 years.

The Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office announced the sentence on social media, offering thanks to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Akron Children’s Hospital for their assistance in investigating the case.