FAYETTEVILLE — A rural Washington County man convicted of possessing child pornography on a computer his ex-wife gave to police was sentenced Thursday to 540 years in prison, the maximum available under the law.
James Edward Whitney, 47, was convicted Wednesday evening of viewing or possessing 18 images of child pornography on computer hard drives. Whitney was charged with 20 counts.
The jury recommended the maximum 30 year sentences on each of the 18 counts and said they should run consecutively. Jurors also recommended a $10,000 fine on each count, $180,000 total. Whitney was given credit for 775 days of jail time served while awaiting trial.
Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay followed the jury's recommendation.