Man admits receiving child porn on 'Net

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A Van Buren County man has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Jerry Dean Byars, 66, of Lawrence was originally charged with two counts of receipt of images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct and two counts of possession of child pornography. As part of his plea deal three of the charges were dropped. He pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of images.

Byars admitted he received the materials over the Internet between November 11, 2004 and September 25, 2005.

He faces between five to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

He faces a sentencing hearing on June 2.

The FBI and Van Buren County Sheriff's Department investigated the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

www.projectsafechildhood.gov