OXFORD – A former federal probation officer will have to wait another three months to find out how long he will serve after pleading guilty to child pornography charges in U.S. District Court Tuesday afternoon. And he will have to wait for that decision in jail.
Lonnie Everill, 45, of Water Valley, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography. Chief Judge Daniel P. Jordan, who was brought in from the south Mississippi federal court district to hear the case, set sentencing for April 25 in Oxford. The charge carries a sentence of five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Everill had hoped to be able to plead guilty and then be released while awaiting sentencing. In an 11-page motion filed last week, he argued that he is neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. He asked to be able to go back to his 32-acre farm in Yalobusha County to make much-needed repairs for his wife of 25 years before he is sent to a federal prison.
A judge has the discretion to release someone under exceptional circumstances. Jordan noted the defense raised three issues: the conditions at the Panola County Jail where Everill has been held in protective custody since April 2024, his desire to get counseling at a south Mississippi rehabilitation center and working on the farm making repairs to help his wife.
“I find none of these things show exceptional circumstances,” Jordan said. “Based on testimony today, the conditions of confinement are not as severe as the motion made it seem.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker King pointed out that Everill is not in solitary confinement. He is in protective custody to keep him away from the general population of the jail since he is a former law enforcement officer. He is in a cell by himself, but he still gets to go outside regularly for an hour, weather permitting. He can meet with his attorney whenever he needs to. He gets face-to-face visitation, and more visits than other prisoners. He has access to a tablet that he can use to send texts. He has his own television and is allowed to watch whatever he wants, and he can get Amazon book deliveries.
The judge also noted that if Everill was allowed to check into a rehab center for 90 days, he would not be able to help his wife, showing that the farmwork was not an exceptional factor either.
Everill took the stand for about 35 minutes during the motion hearing but was not allowed to talk about the crime or offer comments. He will be able to address the court, his family, the community and his victims during his sentencing.
Everill was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 after it was determined he distributed and possessed child sexual abuse material. Some contained images of children as young as toddlers. The case was reassigned to a judge from the south half of the state to avoid any conflict of interest with local judges.
According to the formal complaint, Everill came to the attention of federal authorities because he was chatting online with the man who was being watched as part of an FBI online undercover operation looking into an online chatroom focused on underage girls. When federal agents on the West Coast identified Everill as a potential suspect, they contacted the Oxford office, and local officials realized it was a U.S. Probation officer.
The trial was postponed twice and was scheduled to start Jan. 6, 2025.