CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A convicted sex offender who is accused of looking at child pornography in the common area of a homeless shelter pleaded guilty.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, James Gipson, 59, was living in a homeless shelter in Charleston in April 2020.
Court documents say staff saw Gipson on his laptop looking at images of child pornography on April 25, 2020. It says staff talked to law enforcement who then took Gipson’s laptop for forensic analysis.
It says they found more than 300 pictures of child pornography on his laptop.
The DOJ says Gipson said it was his laptop and he knew he should not have those pictures.
Gipson was convicted of possession of child pornography in 2012 and was sentenced to 10 years and six months behind bars, according to documents. It says Gipson also had to register as a sex offender and was put on lifetime supervised release after the 2012 incident.
Gipson faces up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 26.