OXFORD, Miss. (WJTV) – A former federal probation officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for receiving child sexual abuse materials, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Lonnie Everill, 46, of Water Valley, pled guilty to one count of receiving child pornography on January 14, 2025.

According to court documents, Everill was initially investigated after engaging in chats with another social media user regarding their sexual interest in children. When investigators reviewed the contents of the account attributable to Everill, they found images and videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexual conduct.

Over the course of four months, prosecutors said Everill had sent and received a number of images and videos of child sexual abuse material, as well as selfies and images of local minors not engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

During his time as a probation officer, prosecutors said Everill had structured his career to focus on the rehabilitation and supervision of sexual offenders. He was employed in Utah, California, South Carolina, and Mississippi. 

U.S. District Judge Dan Jordan sentenced Everill to 120 months in federal prison. In handing down the prison term, the court held him accountable for more than 1,400 images. Everill was further ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victims in the images he possessed and an additional assessment of $10,000. He will also have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet and will be ordered to register as a sex offender.

According to the court, many of the images and videos Everill possessed were of very young children and toddlers being raped.

“Everill’s betrayal of trust has been truly staggering,” stated U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “His criminal conduct affected victims, the community, and undermined the credibility of the great federal probation officers in this district. I truly appreciate the exceptional prosecution led by AUSA Parker King and FBI Supervisory Agent Ryan Berthay that uncovered his crimes and brought him to justice.”

This case was investigated by the FBI.