Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Paul Bidwell, 51, of Parkcliffe Avenue was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to 10 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person.

He is also now a tier 3 sex offender, meaning he will have to register with the sheriff in the place where he lives every 90 days for the rest of his life after he gets out.

Each of the 10 counts was a third-degree felony. His indictment stated that the offenses took place March 26, 2024. Bidwell also was previously convicted or pleaded guilty to pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor in November 2012 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

That offense originated out of Newton Falls and resulted in Bidwell being sentenced to one year in prison.

The pandering charges Bidwell pleaded guilty to in the Mahoning County case alleged that he knowingly solicited, received, purchased, exchanged, possessed or controlled material that shows a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity.

Judge W. Wyatt McKay, a visiting judge who is a retired Trumbull County Common Pleas Court judge, sentenced Bidwell while filling in for Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. McKay did not handle Bidwell’s conviction in Trumbull County.