Northeast Side man sentenced for sexual abuse of non-verbal child
A Columbus man will spend 35 years in prison after admitting to sexually abusing a non-verbal child and creating video and photographic pornography of the abuse.
Christian Toms, 47, of the Northeast Side, was sentenced on May 26 by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson in Columbus for Toms' previous guilty plea to charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution and/or creation of child pornography.
According to court records, detectives with the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force became aware of Toms in December 2024 after investigating another person's distribution of child pornography online. Toms was in communication with that person, court records say.
Detectives began investigating Toms and searched his home and electronic devices, which revealed more than 130 files of images and videos depicting the child nude or being sexually abused by Toms, court records state. The child involved had been diagnosed as having autism and was wholly non-verbal, records show.
A total of bout 700 images and videos of child pornography were found on Toms' cellphone, court records state.
Between October 2024 and February 2025, court records state that Toms sent the sexual abuse materials he made to others online with whom he was in communication and who shared sexual interest in children.
Court records say online conversations between Toms and others included photographs that Toms shared of other minor boys in his residence and discussions of grooming a second victim.
One message Toms sent, according to court records, said it was "too bad [the second victim] is neuro typical."
If Toms were to be released from prison, he would be on supervised release for 20 years.
Centre County man gets 50 to 100 years in prison for sexual abuse of children
A Centre County man received a state prison sentence Friday that could be tantamount to life for the sexual abuse of four children.
Kenneth M. Yerger, 28, of Ferguson Township, was sentenced by Clinton County Judge Michael F. Salisbury to 50 to 100 years in prison. He received credit for a year and nine months served in the Clinton County Correctional Facility.
Yerger was classified by Salisbury as a sexually violent predator, meaning he must register as a sex offender and undergo mandatory sex offender counseling for the rest of his life. It’s the highest designation of sex offender registration in Pennsylvania.
A Clinton County jury found him guilty in August of all 58 charges, including felony counts of child rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual assault and corruption of minors.
Clinton County District Attorney Dave Strouse said in a written statement he argued for a sentence that would “remove Yerger from the possibility or (sic) creating another victim for the rest of his natural life.” He recommended a 180- to 360-year sentence.
Under the decades-long sentence Yerger received, he will be in his mid-to-late 70s when he is first eligible for parole.
Four girls between approximately 8 to 15 years old each described similar abuse during forensic interviews, state police at Lamar wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. They said Yerger paid or gave them items before or after the abuse, which spanned 2017 to 2021.
One girl told investigators she was abused at Yerger’s home in Ferguson Township and in Clinton County, police wrote. Strouse said Yerger was convicted of a minimum of 16 separate incidents of sexual abuse.
According to Strouse’s statement, Yerger alleged during his sentencing that the children, police and prosecutor lied during the two-day trial. He further argued his attorney refused to offer hundreds of pieces of evidence that would have purportedly proven his innocence.
The statements did not appear to carry much weight with the judge, who told Yerger he showed no remorse and did not take accountability, according to Strouse.
Maryland Man Who Sexually Abused Child Under 10 Gets 105 Years: ‘Heavy Price To Pay’
A Maryland man who repeatedly sexually abused a child under the age of 10 will likely spend the rest of his life in prison, authorities announced.
Salisbury native Jacob Price, 38, has been sentenced to more than a century behind bars after admitting to preying on a minor for months last year, according to the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors say that between August 2025 and October 2025, Price repeatedly sexually abused a minor under his care before he was arrested and held in custody.
“Children who are sexually abused suffer severe, and often lifelong consequences," Wicomico County State's Attorney Jamie Dykes said. "The young survivor in this case displayed immense courage and strength in disclosing the sexual abuse."
Price previously pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor and four counts of second-degree rape. Specifically, he was sentenced to 105 years in prison.
If Price is ever released from prison, he will be under lifetime sexual offender supervision and be required to register as a Tier III sexual offender for life.
"I thank the multi-disciplinary team of the Wicomico County Child Advocacy Center for their exceptional response and investigation in this case," Dykes added.
"The Court’s powerful sentence in this case sends an unmistakable message that when minors are harmed in Wicomico County, perpetrators will be held accountable and pay a heavy price.”
‘Sick and twisted:’ Pennsylvania man sentenced for sexual abuse of 2 toddlers
ALBANY, N.Y. (WTAJ) — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the sexual abuse of two toddlers — one in Texas and the other in upstate New York.
Trevor Metterhauser, 41, of Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 8 for attempted aggravated sexual abuse, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children, and multiple counts of possession of child pornography. The aggravated sexual abuse and sexual exploitation charges involved two toddlers, one located in upstate New York and the other in Texas.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
As part of the guilty plea, Metterhauser admitted he was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2011. In November 2022, he then conspired with Brandon Whitford to sexually assault a 4-year-old girl in the Northern District of New York. He traveled from his Pennsylvania home to Whitford’s home in New York, where he made videos that showed the child naked. Whitford then sexually assaulted the child after Metterhauser left and sent him the video.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, Metterhauser agreed with Carlos Julian Ruiz to sexually assault a 2-year-old and record it. He traveled from Pa. to Texas to meet with Ruiz and sexually abuse the child.
Metterhauser was arrested in the Northern District of New York in early 2023, where he had multiple devices that contained recordings of his sexual assault of a Texas child, child porn received from Whitford of the New York child, and other child porn from the internet.
In addition to the 80-year sentence, Metterhauser was given a lifetime term of supervised release and was ordered to pay $78,000 in restitution to the victims.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Tremaroli stated, “This powerful sentence is indicative of the sick and twisted behavior of this prolific predator. Trevor Metterhauser’s horrific abuse spanned multiple states and caused immeasurable harm to the children he hurt. With this sentence, he will now die in federal prison. We would like to thank our colleagues at FBI San Antonio for their assistance with ensuring the victims in this case received justice. FBI Albany’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to dedicate every resource necessary to investigate and hold accountable these depraved individuals who are preying on our children.”
It should be noted that Whitford and Ruiz have each pleaded guilty to offenses related to their roles in the abuse of the victims, according to the FBI.
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