An Auburn man was sentenced in Cayuga County Court Tuesday to six months in the Cayuga County Jail with 10 years probation for promoting child pornography via e-mail.

Eric Brown, 21, of 33 N. Division St., Auburn, had previously admitted on June 17 to knowingly disseminating videos which portrayed children as young as 8 years old engaged in sexual intercourse.

As part of his probation, Brown will be banned from using e-mail services. Brown will also have to pay $1,370 in fines and register as a sexual offender.

Brown's sex offender status will be determined Sept. 9 to determine what kind of risk he poses to the public when he is released.

Also in court:

•A local man faces a one-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident that left one of his passengers in a month-long coma.

Charles Short, 24, of 280 Wheat St., Cayuga, admitted that he never reported the accident after he lost control of his vehicle while driving on Route 90 in Montezuma on July 22, 2007.

Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said the accident happened when Short cut off a truck when he attempted to overtake it while doing 80 mph in a no passing zone.

During the course of the accident, Short's passenger was ejected from the vehicle and suffered severe head, face, and torso injuries, Budelmann said.

Short is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9.

•A Bronx woman will spend her weekends in the Cayuga County Jail for the next four months after she received a five-year shock probation sentence for smuggling contraband into the Auburn Correctional Facility while visiting her husband.

Pamela Buari, 33, of 3153 Seymour Ave., Apartment A3, Bronx, was granted the sentence after she pleaded for leniency so she would not lose her job.

Cayuga County Judge Mark Fandrich said he was taking a chance by being lenient on Buari, whom he believed was not the average drug smuggling criminal.

Buari, who had a masters degree in business administration and was the director of telecommunications for a New York City health agency, had never been previously arrested, and was well known in her hometown for her charitable work, Fandrich said.

•An Auburn man pleaded guilty to the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl on August 1, 2006.

Christopher Verdi, 25, 65 E. Genesee St., Auburn, will have to receive a substance abuse and mental health evaluation in addition to a possible shock probation jail term when he is sentenced on Sept. 9

•A local man was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison with two years post release supervision for selling cocaine to a confidential informant on Feb. 2, 2007.

Duane Smith, 46, of 44 Fitch Ave., Auburn, was also ordered to pay $320 in fees and restitution.

•An Auburn man was sentenced to six years shock probation with the first five months spent in the Cayuga County Jail for possessing 19 ounces of marijuana and 90 Oxycontin pills.

Gary Bell, 53, of 1 Madison Ave., Apartment 1, Auburn, received the shock probation in lieu of prison due to serious medical concerns.

•A local man will spend two to four years in prison for possessing a stolen plasma screen TV worth more than $1,000 and for burglarizing Auburn's Infinite Audio.

As part of the sentence, Frank Walters, 28, of 22 Franklin St., Auburn, will have to pay $650 in restitution in addition to $3,900 he had already paid back.

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net