Port Charlotte man sentenced to 37 years for child porn charges

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child porn
John Witherell mug shot. CREDIT: CHARLOTTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

A Port Charlotte man will spend 37 years in prison after getting convicted of 33 counts related to child pornography.

According to state attorney Amira Fox, John Witherell, 54, was sentenced on Friday after getting convicted in February of 2020.

Witherell’s roommate discovered two phones inside of a rolled-up towel tucked in a drawer. The roommate opened one of the phones that wasn’t password protected.

The roommate was then bombarded with disturbing images of children.

When this happened, Witherell was already incarcerated for a different case.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of what the roommate found, leading to an investigation.

Investigators confirmed the phone belonged to Witherell.

Numerous images of child porn were discovered after executing a search warrant on the phone’s contents.

Witherell was arrested on new charges, which eventually led to Friday’s sentencing.

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