Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Violations

MARSHALL — A 54-year-old former Gilmer man, now living in Tyler, has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in East Texas. Patrick Edward Wornick pleaded guilty on June 1 to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison on Aug. 20. Wornick was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,000.

According to information presented in court, on October 6, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Wornick’s Gilmer residence for suspected child pornography after images were reported to being uploaded to an internet website from Wornick’s internet provider address. During the investigation, Wornick admitted to downloading child pornography and subsequently gave permission for the search of his computer. A forensic analysis revealed 600 images of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors under 12 years of age engaged in sadistic or masochistic conduct.