Homeless Man Gets 7.5 Yrs For Child Porn

Johnnie Ray Cook

file photo

(Aurora, Ind.) - A homeless man will have a home in an Indiana prison for 7 ½ years after he was found with hundreds of images of child pornography.

Last June, Aurora Police discovered Johnnie Ray Cook, 58, living in the basement of an empty city building on Manchester Landing. More than 300 images of child porn were found with him.

Investigators determined that Cook downloaded the pictures from the Lawrenceburg Public Library.

In August, Cook reached a negotiated plea agreement with prosecutors in Dearborn Superior Court I. He pleaded guilty to charges of Possession of Child Pornography (Class D felony), Theft (Class D felony). At the time of his arrest, Cook was charged with 30 counts of Possession of Child Pornography.

Cook also pleaded to being a Habitual Offender. Indiana Department of Corrections records show he has past convictions for Theft and Receiving Stolen Property in Dearborn and Ripley counties in 2008, Theft and Receiving Stolen Property in Ripley County in 2004, and Theft and Receiving Stolen Property in Ripley County in 1987.

At Cook’s sentencing on September 20, Judge Jon Cleary ordered he serve three years on the pornography and theft charges to be served concurrently. Cleary also slapped Cook with an extra 4 ½ years for the Habitual Offender enhancement, extending the total sentence to 7 ½ years.

Cook was given 220 days credit for time served in jail prior to his sentence.

The Indiana Department of Corrections lists Cook’s earliest possible release date as March 2, 2016.

LINKS:

Aurora Police Officer Finds Child Porn and Makes An Arrest

Aurora man in court on child porn charges