51-year-old arrested for child porn

WOLCOTT, Conn. (WTNH) -- Police arrested 51-year-old Keith DePastino on child pornography charges. He has already spent decades behind bars for sexually assaulting children.

His niece is shocked and saddened with the news. She says she was helping him find a place and get his life back together after spending so much time in prison but now he's back in the slammer.

"I didn't think he was doing this kind of stuff. I just thought he was a bitter angry person, you know," said Sheri Francis.

Police look at 51-year-old Keith Depastino and see a sex offender. He was convicted in 1988 of sexually assaulting a child. Sheri Francis sees her uncle as the man who helped raise her.

"It's crazy. It's crazy, you know? Especially when it's someone you're related to. It's sort of sickening. I'm sort of nauseus," said Francis.

She says he was verbally abusive but never tried anything sexual with her. His victim was a family member.

"I mean he was awful to that child and I've seen him do abusive things to it, but I guess I never really believed the original charge 'cause like I said he took care of me and my cousin," said Francis.

He lives in Wolcott. Police say he spent more than 20 years behind bars for the abuse and now he's back in cuffs. He broke parole when he police say he jumped online.

"Evidently it was someone who knew his past so they notified the probation officer who in turn had the computer checked out," said Chief Ed Stephens, Wolcott Police.

Stephens says they came to his home in Wolcott, grabbed his computer, and found nearly one thousand images of child pornography.

"Right away you're right back on the computer downloading the stuff so could it have happened again? It probably could have," said Chief Stephens.

It's a fear Francis also realizes. She says she's realizing who her uncle is and hopes he'll never hurt another child.

"There's kids that are just so innocent and so gullible, they don't realize what they're doing online so thank god this was just nipped in the bud before he did hurt someone again," said Francis.