A Hattiesburg man has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, announced Attorney General Jim Hood today.
Branden Howard Henley, age 20, of 18 Lee Lane in Hattiesburg was arrested on Monday, August 3, 2009. The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit of the Attorney General’s Office led the investigation and was assisted in the execution of a search warrant by the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and the Hattiesburg F.B.I.
Henley is charged with knowingly, intelligently and illegally having images in his possession of children under the age of 18 in sexually explicit poses.
“We finally have software that enables us to see who is downloading child porn in this state,” said Attorney General Jim Hood. “This defendant is accused of possessing the images via the Internet through a file sharing program.”
Possession of child pornography is a felony offense with a penalty of five to forty years in the state penitentiary and, upon conviction, is a lifetime registerable sex offense.
As with all cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
More details about the Attorney General’s efforts to combat child pornography in Mississippi will be unveiled in coming weeks.
AG Jim Hood Press Release
8/5/9
Magnolia Tribune
