Staff report

WARREN — A Trumbull County man with a history of sexual offenses was sentenced Wednesday to an indefinite prison term of 10 to 13.5 years after being convicted on 12 felony counts in a child pornography case, according to the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office.

James Harper, 45, appeared in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court before Judge Sean O’Brien, with Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman representing the state.

Harper pleaded guilty to charges related to possessing videos depicting girls ages 2 to 8 who were nude or involved in sexual assaults, with the offenses occurring between December 2023 and March 2024.

In a separate case in October 2024, Harper was sentenced by O’Brien to 18 months in prison for pandering obscenity and two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

Court records show Harper was released on parole supervision in August for those offenses.

Due to his prior sexual offense convictions, O’Brien classified Harper as a Tier 3 sexual offender under Ohio law, requiring him to register with the sheriff’s office four times annually for life.

The mother of one of Harper’s victims addressed the court, stating, “No amount of time will erase the memory of what happened. It doesn’t stop here for the victims. They will have to deal with it for the rest of their lives.”