For years he was a trusted City of Hurricane employee. Harold                                 Dewane Wooten, 58,                                  was the town's water                               clerk, who greeted                               residents at the City                                    Hall drive-up window                                     as they paid their bills.

Now, Wooten is a                                    convicted child                                 pornographer who                                    won't be seen                                            anywhere near City                                        Hall anytime soon.

Monday, January 7th,a                              Cabell County Circuit Court judge sentenced the former Ona resident to a term of two years of home confinement.

You may recall that in September, of 2006, Wooten was caught in a sting that stretched to California. Officers in Sacramento traced nude photos back to West Virginia. A special West Virginia State Police Internet porn detective traced the photos to Wooten's computer. He was arrested and charged with making, possessing, and distributing child pornography using a web cam and computer in his trailer.

The victim was a 14-year-old neighbor girl. Like many child pornographers Wooten blamed her, saying the pictures were taken to make her boyfriend jealous.

However, police weren't buying Wooten's line and say he also offered neighborhood children free Internet time to keep them around his home.

The Cabell County Grand Jury sided with the police, and charged Wooten with five counts in September of 2006. In November, Wooten copped a guilty plea on two counts as part of a deal. Three of the counts were dropped.

Wooten will serve two years at his Culloden home for each count at the same time. Should he violate his home confinement he could be sent to jail.

You might wonder why a judge would sentence Wooten to home confinement considering that is where he committed his crimes. PutnamLIVE.com asked to speak to the Cabell County Prosecutor Christopher D. Chiles. He didn't return a call. However, an aide in his office, who declined to be identified, says Wooten has moved from that neighborhood, and is not allowed to have a computer during his home confinement sentence.

It is not know if Wooten will have to register as a sex offender. As of Monday night, when this story was published, Wooten was not listed on the West Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry.

Follow the case:

Wooten Waives Preliminary Hearing

Wooten Busted For Child Porn