A convicted sex offender will serve 10 years in prison for over 100 images of child pornography found on his computer.
Albert E. Hoelscher, 35, was handed the sentence in Circuit Court on Wednesday after being charged with sexual exploitation of a minor due to having over 100 images of child pornography or explicit images on his computer, and two counts of violating the sexual offender registry. The sexual exploitation charge was amended to facilitation, and the second count of violation of the sexual offender registry was dismissed.
“There was concern in Hoelscher’s case because of the quantity of images he had since there were several hundred images,” said assistant district attorney Tom Miner.
According to the indictment issued in February of 2018, on or about Aug. 23, 2017, Hoelscher knowingly possessed material that included a minor engaging in sexual activity or simulated sexual activity that was patently offensive. The number of individual images, materials or combination of images and materials exceeded 100, constituting the offense of exploitation of a minor, a Class B felony.
The second and third counts against Hoelscher, who is a sexual offender, is due to failing to report to his designated registering agency within three days of changing his e-mail address information or any other form of internet communication he used or was intending to use by establishing a new email account. In doing so, Hoelscher violated the sex offender registration law, a Class E felony.
“He had a sentence in Ohio for gross sexual imposition, was incarcerated for one year and had five years on probation. The probation was transferred to Tennessee,” said Miner. “Of course, the sentencing issue is determined by the legislature, and the legislature is taking a very strong stance against child pornography. The state law recognizes it as a serious offense. It holds the same punishment as aggravated sexual battery, which is one step below child rape.”
In August 2017, Hoelscher was taken into custody after police found child pornography on his computer and evidence he had illicit webcam relations with a young girl. Hoelscher had a prior conviction in 2003 for gross sexual imposition. He was on probation and listed on the state’s sexual offender registry at the time of his 2017 arrest.
Hoelscher’s probation officer discovered the evidence during an inspection of his home in Westwood. Police were called and did an on-scene analysis of the computer hard drive.
“On the initial investigation of his computer, we found several videos of a girl under the age of 13 engaging in sexual activity on webcam recordings,” said McMinnville police detective Todd Rowland in a previous statement in the Southern Standard, noting Hoelscher admitted the computer belonged to him.
“The videos depict (self-touching) scenes,” the warrant claimed, noting there was evidence the suspect communicated with the young girl over the internet during webcam meetings and told her what he wanted to see. “He was an active participant in the behavior of the victim.”
It’s alleged the recordings specifically showed Hoelscher encouraging the girl to do inappropriate things to herself while he watched on his computer screen. The identity of the young girl is unknown.
Hoelscher was represented by attorney Jeremy Trapp and was sentenced to 10 years at the Tennessee Department of Corrections for facilitation of a minor and two years for violating the sexual offender registration. The sentences will run concurrently equaling a total of 10 years.
