Dover man sentenced to 121 months in prison on child pornography charge

DOVER (WJER) (January 14, 2022) – A 56-year-old Dover resident will serve 10 years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to a child pornography charge in September.

Federal Court Judge Dan Polster Thursday sentenced Brenton Cronebach to serve 121 months in a federal prison.

Cronebach had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of transporting child pornography. Two other counts of possession and receiving materials were dismissed.

Cronebach was arrested in May after the FBI searched his cell phone, his online accounts, and at his East 11th Street residence.

An FBI press release says Cronebach acknowledged downloading more than 10,000 images and 1,000 videos depicting child pornography and storing them on flash drives.

His 121-month prison sentence, with credit for time served, will be followed by five years of supervised release and registration as a sex offender.

Friends, family vouch for his character

Friends and family members of Cronebach wrote character-reference letters to the judge, which are included in court documents. All say they’re having a difficult time believing that the person they knew is the same one who authorities say admitted to downloading thousands of images and videos of child pornography, some depicting adults sexually abusing children as young as toddlers.

They say Cronebach was a church elder who oversaw the audio/visual ministry. He was a husband and father who was married for more than 30 years. He was a volunteer who paid his own way for a mission trip to Mexico and delivered supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina. And he was a dedicated community member who helped make homes accessible for people who suddenly found themselves confined to wheelchairs.

They asked the judge to place Cronebach in a facility where he will be safe and receive help with his mental health.

The judge granted that request, placing Cronebach in FCI Loretto, a minimum-security federal prison in Pennsylvania where he will get sex offender counseling. He also sentenced Cronebach to the minimum sentence his lawyers requested in a plea deal.

The FBI reports the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI, Canton Resident Agency, investigated the case.

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