U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Frost sentenced Steven Trent, 46, of Clintonville, to 20 years in prison for production of child pornography, to be followed by 20 years on supervised release.

The woman was searching a laptop for a movie to watch on the drive home from Chicagoto Columbus with Steven Trent last September.

What she found instead horrified her � photos of naked children, including one of Trentnaked witha toddlershe knew he hadbaby-sat.

ButNinette Trentsaid she couldn't say anything toher husband, who was driving, because there were children in the back seat.

"I had to sit in that car with that man for six hours from Chicago," she said.

She and the child's mother had plenty to saybeforeU.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Frost on Wednesday, when the judge sentenced Trent, 46, to 20 years in prison for production of child pornography, to be followed by 20 years on supervised release.

"I see them in my head and I just can't get rid of them,"Ninette Trent, who has since filed for divorce,said of the photos.

The child's mother told Trent, of Clintonville,that she hopeshe doesn't survive his time in prison, "and if you do, you'll rot in hell."

She said her family, including her other children, were questionedby authorities at Nationwide Children's Hospital and by the FBI.

Agents said thatTrent had thousands of time-stampedchild-pornography photos dating to 2009, and that thephoto of Trent with the little girl was taken last July.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Hill called Trent's crime "heinous and horrible" because of of the child's age and the factthat he had child pornography for at leastsix years before he was arrested.

Defense attorney Deborah L. Williams said Trentdrove a funeral-escort motorcycleand suffered head injuries intwo crashes on the motorcyclethat affected his behavior, in 2003 and2014.Both legs and arms were broken and his spinal cord was injured, Williams said.

Trent, who walked into the courtroom wearing a plastic brace around his midsection, said the injuries "messed me up." He pleaded guilty in the case last November.

Frost told Trent he needed to punish him and deter others from committing the same crime.

"I want to send a serious message, that means a serious sentence," Frost said before imposing the 20-year term.

erinehart@dispatch.com

@esrinehart