Former college student pleads guilty to child porn charge
A former student at Saint Vincent College was will serve five years on probation for having pornographic pictures of children on his computer.
James Mitrik, 22, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty Monday to possession of child pornography and criminal use of a computer. Westmoreland County prosecutors dismissed one pornography possession count.
Police charged Mitrik in 2015 after school officials found sexually suggestive images on his laptop of what officials believed to be female students at the school. Those images appeared to have been taken without the women’s knowledge, according to court records.
Police were called in to investigate after officials claimed they suspected Mitrik had child pornography the computer.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger on Monday ordered Mitrik to serve the probation term and barred him from use of any cellphones, social media or computers unless needed for educational purposes.
Saint Vincent officials issued a statement after Mitrik’s arrest, saying he was removed from the school’s residence halls and would be suspended as a student until the criminal case against him was resolved.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff reporter. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@tribweb.com or via Twitter .