Trending
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The Newry man accused of viewing and uploading dozens of files depicting child sexual abuse to different online platforms entered guilty pleas Thursday afternoon to 10 felony counts in exchange for no further charges being brought against him.
James Shubert Hileman III, 42, was charged with 12 felony counts of child sexual abuse material and a single felony count of criminal use of a communication facility following a yearslong investigation by the PA Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force beginning on Nov. 3, 2022, into five separate cybertips from internet service providers who believed child sexual abuse images were being distributed on their platforms.
Appearing before Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard for plea court, Hileman pleaded guilty to nine felony counts of child sexual abuse material and a single felony count of criminal use of a communication facility in exchange for no further charges being brought against him. Defense attorney Bryce Dunio said Hileman's sentencing was being left open to the court pending completion of a pre-sentence investigation and an evaluation by the state Sexual Offender's Assessment Board.
Assistant District Attorney Dani McCormick told Bernard that Hileman would be required to register as a sex offender for at least 15 years due to the nature of the charges to which he is pleading guilty.
Bernard ultimately accepted Hileman's plea and scheduled his sentencing for 8:30 a.m. March 5 in courtroom three of the Blair County Courthouse. Hileman has remained free since posting $100,000 bail on Feb. 21, 2025.
The affidavit of probable cause in Hileman's case states at least 66 files of apparent child porn depicting children between the ages of 3 and 14 were uploaded to online platforms like Kik and YouTube. Hileman would also travel to hotels and use their IP addresses to upload the material.
When agents with the Attorney General's Office and state police officers executed a search warrant in February 2025 on Hileman's residence along the 1000 block of Patrick Lane in Newry, Hileman denied ever viewing child porn. Computer forensics experts on scene went through Hileman's devices and found images of child sexual abuse material, the report states.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.