WARREN — A Girard man was sentenced to jail and given probation Wednesday on charges related to child pornography.

Jacob Poe, 41, of Taylor Avenue, was given 180 days in jail and five years of community control under the supervision of probation officers by Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean O’Brien.

Poe will be able to access the internet only by using a phone provided and monitored by the Trumbull County Adult Probation Department, and he will not be permitted to use social media.

Poe also will have to register as a Tier 2 sex offender, meaning he is required to register in person with the sheriff’s office in the county where he establishes residence every 180 days for 25 years. He also will have to inform the sheriff of employment and educational changes.

O’Brien said to Poe, “The only reason you aren’t going to prison is that you didn’t involve yourself in that activity, you just watched it.”

Poe said he was battling depression and “went off his meds” before going to a dark place on the internet.

“I regret it,” he said.

In October, Poe was named in a secret indictment on four counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor and two counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.

The indictment states Poe had about a half-dozen videos depicting girls from 3 to 12 years old in the nude or performing sexual acts on adult men.

Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman said Poe was charged after the Internet Crimes Against Children task force out of Cuyahoga County traced downloaded pornography to the defendant’s IP address.

As part of the plea deal, the state dropped four other charges dealing with child pornography, the prosecutor said.

cmcbride@tribtoday.com