A Columbus man will serve five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of exploitation of a child.
Noel Everett Sumrall Jr., 67, of 811 Fifth Ave. N, was sentenced to 15 years — 10 years suspended — after he entered an open guilty plea in front of Lowndes County Circuit Court Judge Lee Howard Tuesday. He also received a $2,500 fine and five years post-release supervision. Due to the exploitation charge, Sumrall will serve every day of the five-year sentence. Howard could have imposed the maximum sentence of 40 years.
Officers with the Columbus Police Department and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department raided Sumrall’s north side home in 2011 after receiving an anonymous tip that he had child pornography in his possession. After an extensive search of Sumrall’s home, garage and a backyard storage shed, officers recovered seven trunks filled will pornographic material depicting young children, male and female. Other forms of media containing the graphic images were also discovered.
In addition to state charges, Sumrall is awaiting sentencing on federal charges of child pornography from his Dec. 2011 arrest.
In Sept. 2012, Sumrall was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and charged with federal child pornography and exploitation of a child stemming from his 2011 arrest. In March, he pleaded guilty to one count of the indictment of child pornography and exploitation of a child. He is still awaiting sentencing.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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