A U.S. Navy veteran from Mahoning County is asking the judge who sentenced him to 10 years in prison for child pornography convictions to release him from jail early.

Judge John Durkin has scheduled a May 31 judicial release hearing for 60-year-old Darryl Hipps, who has been in prison since July 2016.

The sentence was handed down after Hipps pleaded guilty to five counts of pandering obscenity involving minors.

On the day he was sentenced, Hipps tearfully told Judge Durkin that he got caught up in pornography on the internet, and he allowed it to cloud his judgment.

The 17-year Navy veteran told the judge he took responsibility for his behavior.

Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer McLaughlin told the court that the Green Township man had some 170 files in a shared folder on his computer, including those showing pre-pubescent children engaged in sex with adults, animals, and other children.

One of the files labeled reportedly by Hipps said, "Two-year-old girl getting raped during a diaper change."

Agents confiscated the material during a March 26, 2015, search of Hipps’ Pleasant Valley Court home.

Investigators said that Hipps had no contact with the children in the videos.

During sentencing, Judge Durkin called the videos “sick and vile.”

Currently, Hipps is not eligible for parole until March of 2025.