BANGOR, Maine — A Hancock County man has pleaded guilty to having child pornography on his laptop computer.
John Tapley, of Sedgwick, had been scheduled to go on trial next month, but on Monday pleaded guilty to the charge during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Bangor.
He remains in custody pending sentencing at a date to be determined.
Police started investigating the 58-year-old Tapley in January 2013 when he brought his laptop to an Ellsworth computer shop for repairs. A technician at the shop found what prosecutors called "sexually suggestive images of prepubescent girls" and reported them to police.
As a previously convicted sex offender, Tapley faces an enhanced sentence.