JACKSON —A Picayune man is going to prison for child exploitation, announced Attorney General Jim Hood in a press release.

The release states that Edwin Dean Pauly, 59, of Picayune, appeared before 15th Circuit Court Judge Prentiss G. Harrell in Pearl River County’s courthouse on Aug. 19 for sentencing after he entered an open plea of guilty on Aug. 12, which means that Pauly threw himself at the mercy of the court. The charges against him included two counts of child exploitation. 

Judge Harrell sentenced Pauly to 10 years, with five suspended, meaning he will serve five of those years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the release states. After serving his time and being released Pauly will be required to register as a sex offender, the release states. 

The Attorney General’s investigation found Pauly to be in possession of multiple images of child porn. The release did not specify if the images were digital or in hard copy form.

The case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit and was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorneys General Linda Davis and Brandon Ogburn.