An Aroostook County man who was injured six years ago in a high voltage accident while working as a lineman for a utility company, has admitted in federal court that he downloaded child pornography.

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Thirty-one-year-old Zane Wetzel of Easton entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Bangor Wednesday to possession of child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty II.

Court records show that in May 2015, Wetzel possessed images and video files depicting child pornography. Some of these files, which prosecutors say he had purposely sought out and downloaded from the internet, depicted the sexual exploitation of prepubescent children under the age of 12.

Investigators said they found the illegal images, including recordings of men sexually assaulting children, on Wetzel’s computer.

Wetzel had pleaded not guilty in November. He faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and between five years and a lifetime of supervised release.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.

In October 2010, while working as an apprentice lineman for a utility company, Wetzel suffered burns over 50% of his body after being hit with high voltage at a substation in Presque Isle. He was in a drug-induced coma for a month-and-a-half and went through multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

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