A 37-year-old man was arraigned on 51 indictments charging him with child abuse and possession of child sexual abuse materials in Berkshire Superior Court last week, where a judge set his bail at $100,000, the Berkshire County District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday.
Brian Warner, who previously lived in Adams, is charged with one count of aggravated rape of child with force, two counts of rape of a child with force and rape and abuse of a child aggravated by age difference, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years, 26 counts of posing or exhibiting a child in a sexual act or posing/exhibiting a child in the nude or lascivious act, 13 counts of aggravated indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years, and two counts of possession of child pornography. Warner was previously arraigned in North Adams District Court last year, and several charges against him were added following an investigation, Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue’s office said.
During Warner’s arraignment, the presiding superior court judge, Francis Flannery, said the case was “one of the worst cases of alleged child sexual abuse” that he had seen, according to a statement from Shugrue’s office. Flannery set bail at $100,000 as he believed it was an amount higher than Warner could post.
Following Warner’s initial arraignment in the lower court, he lived with his father in Cheshire, according to the statement. During that period, investigators found the abuse was a greater extent than prosecutors had initially presented. Prosecutors say Warner created child sexual abuse materials and possessed commercially produced child sexual abuse materials.
Warner posted bail Tuesday and will be subject to GPS monitoring while he is out of custody, according to the statement.
If Warner is found guilty, he would face multiple life sentences and mandatory minimum sentences of up to 10 years, according to the statement.
