Fremont man sentenced for child pornography

FREMONT — A Fremont man was recently sentenced after previously pleading guilty to downloading and possessing child pornography. At a court hearing on June 23, Braden E. Hernandez, 22, 1100 block of Birchard Ave., was convicted on two counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, each a second-degree felony. Hernandez pleaded guilty to the two charges on May 6, in exchange for the following charges to be dismissed: • Ten counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, each a second-degree felony • Eight additional counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, each a second-degree felony Sandusky County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeremiah Ray sentenced Hernandez to serve four to six years in prison, according to court records. Hernandez also received credit for serving roughly two months in jail, according to court records. Under the terms of his sentencing, Hernandez is classified as a Tier 2 sex offender, which means that he must verify home and work addresses every six months for 25 years. Hernandez will additionally be placed on a mandatory term of five years post-release control, according to court records. According to Hernandez's indictment, the crimes occurred on or about Aug. 12, 2024, when he allegedly downloaded images depicting a nude child along with various other sexually explicit material involving children.