Superior man faces prison for second child porn conviction

MADISON — A Superior man twice convicted of possessing child pornography was sentenced this week in federal court to eight years in prison to be followed by 25 years on supervised release.

Samuel L. Dewitt, 40, was convicted in Kentucky in 2003 for possessing child pornography and was a registered sex offender in Wisconsin. In 2011, an undercover state Department of Justice investigator using a peer-to-peer internet network discovered sexually explicit images of minors on a computer later traced to Dewitt.

Members of the Lake Superior Forensic Technology and Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce searched Dewitt’s Ogden Avenue residence on Dec. 11, 2011, and seized a computer that contained child pornography videos, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman.

In November, Dewitt pleaded guilty to the possession charge in exchange for the government recommending a sentence of 10 years or less.

On Wednesday, District Judge William Conley said Dewitt’s offense involved more than 600 images of minors, some, which depicted sadistic or masochistic conduct. Conley noted Dewitt’s repeat conviction made him a danger to the community.

Dewitt was taken into custody after his November plea hearing. At the time, he said he had a master’s degree in physics from an online institution.

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