Ottawa man gets 4 years for child pornography

An Ottawa man pleaded guilty Friday to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Benjamin B. Ruble, 41, could have faced up to 15 years in prison for allegedly uploading and viewing an illicit image on July 5, 2020. However, attorneys advised Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. of a negotiated plea in which Ruble would additionally pay a $1,000 fine and surrender the device containing the illicit image.

With a shot at day-for-day good time, Ruble could be released from prison in early to mid-2023.

Ruble declined an opportunity to address Ryan before sentencing.

He was charged after Ottawa police detectives, assisted by the state’s High Tech Crimes Bureau, executed a search warrant on a residence in the 900 block of West Madison Street as part of a child pornography investigation.

Also in court Friday, three murder cases were postponed:

• Bradley M. French, 28, formerly of Varna, was scheduled for jury trial Monday on first-degree murder for the bow-and-arrow killing of Joshua Scaman in 2015. His first conviction was reversed on appeal and he faces a do-over trial, now set for Sept. 27.
• Donald A. Fredres, 37, of Sandwich still awaits a complete psychiatric evaluation before he can stand trial for allegedly shooting his former in-laws to death inside their Sheridan home. He will next appear Sept. 3 for a status hearing.
• Jeffrey L. Price, 34, formerly of Marseilles will next appear Sept. 10 on a post-trial motion. Price is serving 35 years for the murder of a 9-day-old infant in 2017.