Two sexual predators convicted in Worcester County

Two sexual predators were convicted in Worcester County last week.

Daniel Kerstetter, 56, of Berlin, will spend the next five years in prison. He was convicted on 28 counts of distribution and possession of child porn through an online investigation called Worcester Safety Net.

Back in July, detectives say they confiscated thousands of images and videos from his home. They believe it was something he was involved in since 2008, if not earlier.

“He had some pretty horrific images there, he had images that the average person if they were able to see it, it’s not something they’re going to forget,” says Detective Alex Kagan with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office.

As for 41-year-old Gregory Carr, he was found guilty of using a small camera to privately record his girlfriend’s daughter when she used a bathroom in his home.

“I think you can certainly argue that the next step would be putting your hands on somebody.”

Carr is awaiting sentencing on July 14th and is facing up to a year behind bars. On top of that, the charge comes with a mandatory 15 years as a registered Tier One Sex Offender.

“It’s going to moving forward keep him under the watchful eye of law enforcement,” says Worcester County State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby. “It’s also that public component that they can know who their neighbors are.”

Carr’s charge is just a misdemeanor, which State’s Attorney Oglesby says can limit the court in what they are able to sentence him.

In Kerstetter’s case, prosecutors also had limits on what pictures they could charge him for. Pictures of children are reportedly not considered pornography unless the child is making some sort of sexual gesture. Some pictures fall under the category of “child erotica,” which doesn’t carry a unique charge.

“They are no less disturbing however there is a distinction in the law,” says State’s Attorney Oglesby. “It’s frustrating because if there’s only images of child erotica it could limit us in what they’re able to pursue for prosecution.”

However, there is one thing the convictions do always bring – awareness.

“These types of cases are simply individual examples to make sure that we will do what it takes to get these types of predators off our streets.”