Latrobe man sentenced for child porn possession

A Latrobe man was sentenced Thursday to serve at least six years in prison for possession of child pornography.

Joshua Allen Clawson, 46, pleaded guilty in August to 10 felony counts in connection to files police said were discovered on a computer he sold to a Hempfield pawn shop in 2017.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio ordered Clawson serve 6 to 17 years in prison.

According to court records, Clawson sold a laptop computer for $80. Police said Clawson, at the time of the sale, asked the shop’s owner for a waiver to say he wasn’t responsible for the data found on the computer and provided his password so the data on the device could be removed.

Police said a store worker found the pornographic materials on the computer.

Police said Clawson admitted to investigators in 2017 he sold the computer but denied he was responsible for pornography found on the device.

The investigation languished for the next eight years.

Clawson was again interviewed by police in Indiana County last April. According to court records he told investigators, “I have not touched that stuff since this incident.”

Investigators said hundreds of images of child pornography, including videos of underage females performing sex acts, were discovered on the laptop.

Clawson was charged with 421 felony offenses and one misdemeanor count related to the images on his computer. Prosecutors dismissed most of the charges as part of a plea deal this summer that did not include a recommended sentence.