A Columbus man will spend five years in prison after pleading guilty this week to exploitation of a child.
Robert Powell, 46, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with five suspended after pleading before Circuit Court Judge Lee Coleman on Tuesday. Powell admitted to downloading child pornography, District Attorney Scott Colom said.
Powell entered an open plea, meaning he plead guilty without his attorney or the DA’s Office having come to a sentencing agreement, Colom added.
LCSO Det. Tony Cooper confirmed Powell was a former park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Lowndes County.
Powell’s attorney, William Starks, could not be reached by press time.
Deputies with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Powell in June 2015. Assisting the LCSO in the investigation was the Mississippi Attorney General Cyber Crime Unit and the Tupelo Police Department Forensics Lab.
Powell is in custody at the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center awaiting transport to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
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