The trial of former Coaldale mayor Richard P. Corkery, charged with 27 counts of child pornography, is set to begin at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday in Carbon County Court.

Corkery, 75, was charged by Nesquehoning police with downloading child pornography on a computer at his former employer's radio station WLSH. Police said the images were of teenage boys engaging in sexual acts.A jury panel was selected last week and the trial will be held before Judge Steven R. Serfass in courtroom three on the third floor of the courthouse in Jim Thorpe.Corkery was elected as mayor of Coaldale in 2009. He did not seek re-election to the office.The trial is expected to take at least two days, but could go into a third day.The case began in 2011 when Corkery was confronted by Nesquehoning police for allegedly downloading child pornography at radio station WLSH.Police Chief Sean Smith said his office received an "anonymous letter" asking police to look into allegations of child pornography concerning Corkery at the radio station. The station terminated Corkery before the start of the investigation by police.Corkery originally entered an agreement with the district attorney's office to plead guilty to all 27 counts.However, in October 2011 through his attorney, Nicholas Quinn, of Pottsville, Corkery filed a petition to back out of the plea agreement.The petition was granted by Serfass when the DA's office did not oppose it.