Dowd
WILKES-BARRE — On state parole and mandated to lifetime registration of his address as a sex offender, Joseph Salvatore Dowd is challenging a request by prosecutors to use his prior convictions of sharing child sexual abuse images during his upcoming trial on allegations he possessed child sex abuse materials.
Dowd’s attorney, Robert P. Sheils III, argued his client’s separate 2017 convictions for dissemination of child sex acts is “highly prejudicial” as it would likely cause an unbalanced and unfair trial as the jury will likely conclude Dowd has a “bad character.”
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Carly A. Levandoski argued for the admittance of Dowd’s 2017 convictions as it alleges he had knowledge, motive and intent to search for child sexual abuse images.
Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr. said he will issue his ruling at a later date.
Sheils and Levandoski made their respective legal arguments during a brief motions hearing Tuesday in preparation of Dowd’s trial on 27 counts of child pornography and a single count of criminal use of communication facility scheduled to begin June 3. Dowd remains free on $10,000 bail.
Detectives with the district attorney’s office in May 2023 arrested Dowd, of Duryea, while investigating a Cyber tip that alleged child sexual abuse images were downloaded to a cellular phone number registered to him.
During the execution of a search warrant at Dowd’s residence, he surrendered a second cellular phone that had saved child sexual abuse images, according to court records.
Court records say Dowd gave detectives the statement, “I messed up, I can not get it out of my head, and I need to admit myself to the hospital and get extensive treatment.”
Dowd was sentenced by Sklarosky to two years, six months to five years in state prison on Aug. 16, 2017, based on separate arrests by agents with the state Office of Attorney General and county detectives for sharing online child sexual abuse materials.
