City man nabbed on child porn counts

Van Wert Police Dept. news

A city man has been arrested on child pornography-related charges after a search of his residence Wednesday morning.

Paul K. Susralski, 48, of 150 Blaine St., was charged with one count each of pandering obscenity involving a minor, pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance, all second-degree felonies, and one count of possession of criminal tools, a felony of the fifth degree.

At approximately 10:19 a.m. Wednesday, the Van Wert City Police Department assisted agents of the Crimes Against Children Unit of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation with service of a search warrant at Susralski’s residence.

Prior to obtaining the search warrant, Ohio BCI&I investigators had obtained evidence identifying the house as a location where child pornography had been downloaded to a computer inside the residence.

The house was identified during an investigation conducted by the Crimes Against Children Unit into the use of file sharing network software by people to receive and transmit child pornography.

After serving the warrant, agents and technicians from Ohio BCI&I and Van Wert police officers searched the residence, and investigators and officers found additional evidence indicating that child pornography had been downloaded on a computer inside the home. Ohio BCI&I agents then seized computers and electronic media from the home for further analysis.

Susralski was first taken to the police station for questioning before charges were filed. Susralski is currently incarcerated in the Van Wert County Correctional Facility and will make an initial appearance in Van Wert Municipal Court on Thursday.