LISBON –An East Palestine man accused of possessing images of child pornography was sentenced to five years in prison Friday after his defense attorney’s request for community control was denied.

“The images in this case are truly shocking,” Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam said.

Robert W. Rogers, 75, Bacon Avenue, apologized for his actions when given the chance to speak before being sentenced to five consecutive sentences of 12 months each for 17 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, a fourth-degree felony, for possessing the images on June 18, 2024.

Washam followed the recommendation of county Assistant Prosecutor Tammie Riley Jones, who was opposed to community control and pointed to the seriousness of the offenses and what was depicted in some of the images. She did note that the defendant was cooperative with agents. The state was also represented by county Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Weeda.

The sentence was 12 months each for counts 1-3, 4-7, 8-11, 12-14 and 15-17, bringing the total to five years. Rogers was also designated a Tier II sex offender, meaning once he’s released from prison, he’ll have to register his address and other information with the sheriff’s office of the county where he resides every six months.

Rogers had been out of jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond and was taken into custody immediately after the sentencing hearing,

Before sentencing, his defense attorney, Coleen Hall Dailey, asked Washam to consider community control, pointing to her client’s age.the fact that he was a veteran and the fact that he has several health issues and must take several medications daily. She said she was very concerned for his health if he gets prison time.

“I know he is very sorry for what he did,” she said, adding, “He knows what he did was wrong.”

Dailey said she didn’t believe this would ever happen again.

“A term of imprisonment would be extremely harmful to him,” she said.

Rogers had one supporter in the courtroom.

He entered a guilty plea to all of the charges in July. The pandering charge alleged that Rogers did “with knowledge of the character of the material or performance involved, buy, procure, possess or control obscene material that has a minor as one of its participants.”

mgreier@mojonews.com