Port Clinton man gets 2 decades behind bars

PORT CLINTON — A Port Clinton man, who previously pleaded guilty to downloading and creating child pornography, was sentenced on Monday to serve more than two decades in prison. Cody S. James, 32, of the 700 block of Lincoln Court, was convicted on 54 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, each a second-degree felony, and one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony. James pleaded guilty to all 55 charges listed in his July 2024 indictment on Feb. 2. No charges were dismissed or amended as a result of his plea. Ottawa County Common Pleas Court Judge Bruce Winters sentenced James to serve between 23 years and 27 years in prison, according to a news release from the court. "James was arrested in July 2024 following an investigation by the Ottawa County prosecutor's office," the release states. "During the pendency of the case, he underwent multiple psychosocial evaluations and was found competent to stand trial." Under the terms of his sentencing, James is additionally classified as a Tier 2 sex offender, which means that he must verify his home and work addresses every six months for 25 years and is subject to a mandatory term of five years post-release control. Background The investigation into James began on July 3, 2024, when an agent from the county prosecutor's office major crimes unit received a cyber tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This occurred after receiving a request from the Port Clinton police regarding child sexual abuse material that was uploaded on the messaging app Kik, according to a report from the Ottawa County prosecutor's office. An agent from the task force subpoenaed the Google account associated with the Kik account. The subpoena linked back to James' IP address, phone number and email address, the report states. After agents reviewed the subpoena results, they located James's address and spoke with him. When the agents asked James if he had ever produced child pornography, he shook his head "no" and explained that he produced material with a person he met a few years ago, but that he didn't know the male was under 18. He claims they lied to him about their age, according to the report. While at James' home, the agents asked where he kept the pornographic images, and he said that they were in his phone. James voluntarily allowed agents to access his phone, the report states. Based on evidence from his phone and his admission to the police, James was arrested on July 10, 2024, and booked into the Ottawa County Jail.