Sex Offender Indicted on Child Porn Charges

A convicted Merrimack sex offender arrested on charges that he had pornographic images of a minor on his computer and solicited sex from a minor in Oregon has been indicted on five felony charges.

Burns, 40, of 11 Camp Sargent Road, was arrested in March on charges of possession of child pornography and use of computer services prohibited.

This month, he was indicted in Hillsborough County Superior Court South on four counts of possession of child sexual abuse photos and one count of certain use of computer services prohibited.

According to court documents, Burns had in his possession of four sexually explicit photos of a naked 12 or 13 year old girl. He also allegedly spoke online with the young girl via Facebook in a sexually explicit manner.

The possession charges are each considered class A felonies and carry a sentence of 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison and up to $4,000 in fines. The fifth charge is considered a class B felony and carries a sentence of up to 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison and up to $4,000 in fines.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but rather a grand jury's opinion that there is enough evidence in a case to bring it forward toward trial.