A Ligonier Township man was sentenced Thursday to serve at least two years in prison for possession of child pornography.
Mathew Louis Hoffer, 57, pleaded guilty in September to 31 felony counts in connection with more than two dozen photos and videos police said were found on a computer in his home last year. The discovery followed an investigation by the state police into allegations that child pornography was being shared over the internet.
Police identified Hoffer as a suspect last March, according to court records.
Investigators said Hoffer linked his computer to file-sharing programs that contained explicit sexual images of children. Hoffer told police he was long-time collector and viewer of child pornography.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio ordered Hoffer to serve two-to-four years in prison and an additional three years on probation.
Hoffer was given credit for the time he served in jail following his arrest last June.
