Baldwin man sentenced to 15 years on child porn charge

A convicted sex offender from Baldwin will serve 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to having child pornography photographs and videos.

Investigators observed Charles Weaver, 55, trading multiple images of child pornography over the Internet in August and September 2011.

When they executed a search warrant at his home, they discovered between 75 and 100 images of child pornography, including at least 50 videos. Weaver admitted to possessing images and videos featuring children between the ages of 7 and 10.

He pleaded guilty July 18 to three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child as a sexually motivated felony. He was sentenced by Judge William O'Brien.

Prior to this case, Weaver was already registered as a level 3 sex offender, the highest rank in the state and one that requires that he be registered for life, after serving 10 years in prison for a 1990 conviction of first-degree criminal sex act. He was also previously convicted of failing to register as a sex offender.

"Mr. Weaver has proven himself to be an incredibly dangerous predator, and locking him in a prison cell is the only way to prevent him from victimizing innocent children again," said Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Weaver is represented by the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which does not comment on individual cases.