Security bailiff Steve Boyd handcuffs former substitute teacher/paraprofessional John M. McFarland after he was sentenced Monday in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court to more than eight and a half years in prison for possessing videos of children engaged in sex acts. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON –A former Columbiana County substitute teacher and paraprofessional accused of possessing videos depicting minors engaged in sex acts is on his way to prison for more than eight and a half years after facing sentencing Monday.

John M. McFarland, 43, Chesapeake, Va., formerly Steubenville Pike Road, Lisbon, said he was deeply ashamed and remorseful for what happened as he addressed Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton before she issued the sentence.

“I want to offer my sincerest apology to the court,” McFarland said, apologizing to anyone who may have been harmed. “I have never been more sorry for anything in my life.”

Bickerton said she appreciated him getting help and she appreciated the fact that he stopped, “but you stopped because you got caught. You didn’t seek help until you got caught.”

McFarland’s defense attorney, Kiran Kavoor Mikhaiel, said she wasn’t asking the court to withhold a penalty, but to send her client to the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, a structured residential facility where he could undergo counseling and treatment as part of community control.

Bickerton, though, said she was following the prosecutor’s recommendation for prison time — eight months for each of the 13 fourth-degree felony counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person. Plus she added she thought consecutive sentences were warranted, bringing the total to 104 months, which is eight years eight months in prison.

For a misdemeanor charge of one count illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but to be served at the same time as the prison term. He received credit for one day served in jail.

County Assistant Prosecutor Alec Beech described the videos of children engaging in sexual activity as shocking. He believed consecutive sentences were appropriate to punish the offender and protect the public. He said the prosecutor’s office was a happy with the outcome.

McFarland was also designated a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to register with the sheriff’s office where he lives once he’s out of prison every 180 days for at least 25 years.

He was originally indicted for 16 counts of the fourth-degree felony pandering obscenity charge, along with five counts of second-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, and single counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, a fifth-degree felony, and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was accused of possessing numerous videos depicting children being sexually assaulted and engaging in sexual activity and conduct on May 20, 2025 in Center Township and for possessing a methamphetamine pipe.

The affidavit filed in Columbiana County Municipal Court by an agent with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force said that McFarland allegedly transmitted a video depicting a young minor male engaging in sexual conduct via a social media platform on Oct. 10, 2022. On May 5, 2025, he allegedly transmitted via email nine videos depicting minors engaging in sexual activity, besides being in possession of the videos on May 20, 2025. According to the affidavit, McFarland held positions of trust in the past, including corrections officer, drug counselor, bus driver and substitute teacher/paraprofessional. His contract with the county Educational Service Center was terminated on May 22, 2025, one day after he had been suspended and placed on administrative leave, according to the ESC meeting minutes.

Mikhaiel relayed to the judge that McFarland was extremely remorseful and this was a single episode. She said there was no physical contact with a child.

She also said her client had suffered a psychological issue at the time of the offense, he was going through his third divorce, suffered anxiety, and was self-medicating with marijuana and methamphetamine. He had no record and lived a law-abiding life for decades before this incident. He was going through treatment, was employed and had a support structure. He was living with his mother in Chesapeake, Va. His mother, sister and grandmother were all in the courtroom to support him.

“In the past seven months, I’ve done a lot to better myself,” McFarland said.

Bickerton said she reviewed the pre-sentence investigation report and read everything included, acknowledging the counseling, but said in a case like this, “there’s a whole other dark side that is hidden to everyone.”

She talked about how there’s a whole task force devoted to cases like this and there wouldn’t be so much of it without the demand from people like the defendant.

mgreier@mojonews.com