Tortora
A volunteer Shelton firefighter behind bars since March on arson charges has also been arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography.
Police said 57-year-old William Tortora faces charges of third-degree possession of child pornography and promoting a minor in an obscene performance in the new case.
He was due to be arraigned on the new charges Wednesday (May 16) at Superior Court in Derby.
Tortora was arrested in March on arson and conspiracy charges for allegedly setting a fire in the back of his pickup truck during an annual dinner at the Echo Hose Hook & Ladder firehouse Feb. 3.
In a prepared statement, Shelton Police Detective Richard Bango said the child pornography charges were the result of the arson investigation.
“In the course of the fire investigation detectives seized Tortora’s cell phone,” Bango said. “Photographs and video of child pornography were discovered by detectives.”
Police did not say specifically how many of the images on Tortora’s cell phone were illegal, but the charge is for defendants who possess fewer than 20 images of child pornography.
Third-degree possession of child pornography is a class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison, one year of which is mandatory.
Promoting a minor in an obscene performance is a class B felony punishable by up to 20 years behind bars.
Police set Tortora’s bond in the new case at $75,000. He has been behind bars since March 1 on more than $250,000 in bonds in connection to arson and motor vehicle charges.
