BEDFORD – Lawrence Superior Court I Judge John M. Plummer III sentenced a Bedford man to four years in the Indiana Department of Correction on felony charges of possession of child pornography.
Judge Plummer suspended one year to probation upon his release and ordered 30-year-old Paul Imhoff to register as a sex or violent offender for life.
The sentence in this case will begin after the completion of a conviction in Brown County for child exploitation.
Imhoff pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography, one a Level 5 Felony and one a Level 6 felony, as a part of a negotiated plea agreement with the State. The plea agreement allowed Imhoff to plead guilty to those counts without a sentencing agreement.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Joshua K. Scherschel said, “This defendant possessed images of child pornography, some of which were of a young female who knew him and trusted him. We thank the Indiana State Police for their dedicated service to the community and their assistance in bringing some level of justice for those who Child Pornography victimizes.”
An investigation alleging Imhoff’s possession of child pornography began in December of 2022 after a family member located suspected images on the electronic devices owned and utilized by Imhoff.
Upon speaking to the complainant, Deputy Andrew Tillett of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department contacted Detective Robert Whyte of the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Section for assistance with the case.
Deputy Tillett and Detective Whyte interviewed Imhoff about the allegations and performed forensic examinations of the suspected electronic devices. Through those investigatory techniques, officers were able to confirm Imhoff had child pornography. A review by the Lawrence County Prosecutors Office resulted in an arrest warrant approved by Judge Plummer.
Imhoff was arrested by Trooper Cody Brown and Trooper Tyler Trueblood and then transported to the Lawrence County Jail on four counts of possession of child pornography under the age of 12, a Level 5 felony, and two counts of child pornography, a Level 6 felony.
Imhoff was arrested on the Brown County felony charges of child exploitation and voyeurism after an investigation in December 2022.
On Dec. 30, 2022, Det. Robert Whyte with the ISP was informed by law enforcement in Lawrence County that a caller had reportedly located child pornography, including photos of a juvenile relative, on the phone belonging to Imhoff.
Lawrence County Officer Tillett responded to the residence and spoke with the caller.
According to the probable cause affidavit, she found “weird” messages on an old phone belonging to Imhoff, including pornographic images of children under the age of 10 engaging in sexual acts.
There were other pictures of the caller’s relative, under 18, in a bathroom.
Imhoff arrived at the residence while Tillett was there, and Trooper Whyte also responded. According to the affidavit, Imhoff reportedly admitted to having the photos.
He told police that he had downloaded the images and kept them in a folder on his folder, intending to delete them later. He also told police that he knew that six of the photos in the folder were of children.
Imhoff told investigators he was “no longer the same person that he was three years ago” and that it was “the worst thing he had ever done in his life and regretted it ever since.”
When asked about the photo of the child in the bathroom, he said he was “in a really dark place.” That photo had been taken at a family cabin at Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park.
Through the investigation, ISP determined that the photos were taken in August 2019 and were screenshots of a video filmed on a “hidden secret camera” on the bathroom floor facing the shower, according to the affidavit.
Due to the manufacturing of child pornography and voyeurism occurring in Brown County, ISP requested a warrant through the Brown County Prosecutor’s Office.
Imhoff was formally charged on Jan. 11, 2023. In a negotiated plea deal, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of child exploitation. Brown Circuit Court Judge Mary Wertz sentenced Imhoff to four years in the Department of Corrections. He was ordered to serve one and a half years on Brown County Work Release. The rest of the sentence was suspended to supervised probation.
However, on March 20, 2024, Imhoff violated the terms of his work release, and a petition to revoke his sentence was filed. Judge Wertz ordered Imhoff to serve his sentence in the Department of Corrections.
