A North Huntingdon man pleaded guilty Thursday to 32 felony offenses related to allegations he created and distributed images of child pornography.
James C. Gockel, 41, was charged in 2022 after state police investigators received notification from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that videos were uploaded to YouTube between April 2020 and January 2022.
According to court records, search warrants led police to Gockel, who admitted to making sexual videos with a girl, police said.
Multiple videos and images were found on computer equipment seized from Gockel. Police said one video dated to 2013 and depicted him touching a 10-year-old girl in a sexual manner.
Gockel pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child and multiple charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography, as well as single charges of indecent assault and unlawful contact with a minor.
As part of Gockel’s plea deal, 21 additional counts, including charges of unlawful contact and communication with a child for the purpose of sexual abuse and other related offenses, were dismissed.
Prosecutors agreed not to seek a 10-year mandatory prison sentence in return for Gockel’s guilty plea.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio said she will sentence Gockel in about three months.
Gockel will remain in jail pending his sentencing hearing. He has been in custody since June after his $250,000 bail was revoked. According to court records, the judge determined Gockel violated terms of his bail when he was spotted by police last summer at Sandcastle Water Park having contact with children and in possession of a cellphone with access to the internet, restricted acts under terms of his pretrial release.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.