CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. --- A Port Charlotte man will be spending the next several years in prison after an arrest for possessing child pornography.
26-year-old Nicholas Berlen was sentenced to 7 years in prison on Monday in Charlotte County.
Berlen plead guilty to one count of Computer Pornography and ten counts of Possession of Child Pornography.
Authorities arrested Berlan last year after executing a search at his home where over 5,000 images of suspected child pornography, some involving children as young as five years old was retrieved.
As part of the plea agreement Berlen was adjudicated guilty on all counts.
As part of his sentence Berlen must register as a sexual offender and is prohibited from having any contact with minors. He must also forfeit any electronics that were seized with images on them.
