By: Adam Beam SUTV News
A Waynesboro man was sentenced to two to five years in a state correctional facility after pleading guilty to 46 counts of child pornography on Wednesday.
Stacy Crabtree Jr., 36, was arrested in March of 2022 after an investigation by Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Child Predator Section, found him in possession of multiple files containing child pornography. The lengthy investigation began in October of 2021, after the Attorney General’s Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The center had noticed suspicious online activity for a Google Drive user named John Doe, who had uploaded dozens of files containing the sensitive material. After multiple subpoenas to Comcast and Google, police and Attorney General’s Office was able to track the IP address of John Doe to Crabtree’s Waynesboro home. Crabtree was arrested and was unable to post the $75,000 bail.
It was an emotional scene in the courtroom as Crabtree’s mother, father, and grandmother were all present for his sentencing, one that could’ve seen him receive the maximum penalty of 100 years in prison, as well as a $200,000 fine. The mother, Tammi Coleman, spoke before Judge Angela Krom on behalf of her son. Reading a letter written by Crabtree’s grandmother, she told the court that, “Stacy’s a loving, caring, young man,” and goes on to say, “we know he did wrong, and don’t understand why he would do this.”
In the most revealing moment of Coleman’s speech she touched on her son’s previous service in the military, battle with substance abuse, and mentioned that her son had a “harmful” interaction with a pastor as a child though she did not elaborate further.
When it came time for Krom to sentence Crabtree she noted that he was not a sexually violent predator as identified by a Sexual Offender Assessment ordered by the court in December. However, Krom also recognized the severity of the crimes committed by Crabtree stating, “The laws and courts have a responsibility to protect children from crimes such as these”. She also explained that while Crabtree may not have known the children contained in any of the videos or images he possessed, “they are still victims.”
Crabtree echoed those sentiments when he spoke before Krom telling the judge that, “Re-victimizing individuals had never dawned on me before,” as well as saying he understands what he has done and feels “horrible” about his actions.
On top of his confinement to a correctional facility, Crabtree will now have to register with the state under Megan’s Law. He will not be able to consume alcohol or controlled substances, own firearms, or have any unsupervised interaction with individuals under the age of 18.
Crabtree is also expected to pay a fine of $4,955 as well as any other legal fees.