OXFORD – A former federal probation officer who plans to plead guilty next week to child pornography charges wants to be released on bond while he awaits sentencing to work on his farm.
Lonnie Everill, 44, of Water Valley, has remained in federal custody since April 2024, when he was arrested on charges of both distribution and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to plead guilty to the charge of receiving child pornography Tuesday.
His defense attorney filed an 11-page motion this week asking the court to allow Everill to be released from custody after he pleads guilty and while he awaits sentencing. That could mean Everill would be free to go home for about four months, based on recent cases in the U.S District Court of North Mississippi,
Everill argues he is neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. He wants to return to his 32-acre farm in Yalobusha County and make what he says are much-needed repairs before he is sent to a federal prison. The charge carries a sentence of between five and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
“It is anticipated that the defendant will be sentenced to a lengthy term of incarceration,” defense attorney Robert Davis wrote in the motion. “Should the defendant be detained pending sentencing, that detention would work a unique hardship upon the defendant’s family. Even a brief release between change of plea and sentencing would prove to be a great benefit to his family.”
Everill said he needs to repair a damaged gate and fencing. He also needs to cut down some trees that pose a risk to the house and other structures, as well as replacing rotten windows in the house. The farm needs to sell tractors, trailers, farm implements, a sawmill and two shops full of tools.
He said his wife of 25 years is not a skilled farm laborer, mechanic or builder and cannot handle the repairs by herself. Because of the nature of the charges against Everill, his wife has had difficulty finding anyone willing to help.
“She has encountered situations where those she has asked for help have refused to offer help, or accept work on the property,” the motion reads.
Everill has been in custody since April 16, 2024. Since he is a law enforcement officer, he has to be isolated from the jail’s general population. Defense attorney Davis said Everill is essentially in solitary confinement, with very little human contact, and he is getting only three one-hour breaks outside each month.
Davis said Everill was given no time outside for the first 70 days of incarceration.
“These conditions of confinement, while necessary for his safety, have taken a massive toll on the defendant’s mental health,” Davis said. “The defendant reports that he has become depressed, experiences anxiety and is truly in need of relief from these conditions.”
Davis added Everill appears to have aged several years in the past few months.
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 that 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.