Photo for Headline Surfer / Jail mug of 44-year-old Paul Carl Elias of Deltona convicted of child pornography.
DELAND, FLa. – A Deltona man was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in a state prison facility on 30 counts of possession of child pornography.
Once released, Paul Carl Elias, 44, will have to register as a sexual offender. He was previously convicted on all counts in an April 2017 jury trial.
In 2017, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which alerts law enforcement to reports of sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.
"Using the tip, the Sheriff’s Office was able to identify Elias and discover the child pornography in his possession," Spencer Hathaway, spokesman for State Attorney RJ Lartizza, told Headline Surfer.
In 2017, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which alerts law enforcement to reports of sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.
"Using the tip, the Sheriff’s Office was able to identify Elias and discover the child pornography in his possession," Spencer Hathaway, spokesman for State Attorney RJ Lartizza, told Headline Surfer.
Assistant State Attorney Jeanne Stratis prosecuted the case, which was presided over by Circuit Judge Dawn D. Nichols, who handed down the 35-year prison sentence against Elias. He was represented by defense counsel Jonathan Mills.
Elias will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence behind bars, according to Florida sentencing guidelines. He's credited with 597 days of incarceration prior to his conviction.
Taking into consideration the 85 percent serve time behind bars and time already served, Elias could be released from prison in 29 years at the age of 73.