A Lauderdale County man was convicted on multiple counts of possession of child pornography and sentenced to 10 years.
Kevin Charles Prather, 52, of Rogersville, pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of possession of obscene material depicting a person under the age of 17.
The 10-year sentence was split with one year to serve. Following his release, he will be on probation for three years and will have to register as a sex offender.
"Possession of child pornography inflicts never-ending harm, perpetually exploiting the victims every time the images are viewed and disseminated. This abhorrent crime not only damages our society but inflicts unimaginable suffering upon the most vulnerable victims—children," said Attorney General Steve Marshall. "It is important that we do all we can to fight against child exploitation and send a message to those depraved predators that they will be held to account and punished to the fullest extent of the law for their crimes."
Court documents show Prather had at least 15 images of children under the age of 17 being sexually abused on his computer. The computer was seized from his home in August last year, and Prather was arrested. He initially pleaded not guilty to 15 counts, but the plea deal made it possible for him to plead guilty to only five counts.
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