Former Columbia man pleads guilty to child pornography possession charges

COLUMBIA — A former Columbia man pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of possession of child pornography as part of an open plea with the Boone County prosecutor's office.

Nathan Eyberg, 29, was arrested in February and charged with promoting child pornography and multiple counts of possession of child pornography. But as part of the open plea, Boone County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Merilee Crockett dropped the charge of promoting child pornography for Eyberg's guilty plea on the other charges.

Eyberg was arrested on Feb. 11 after an investigation by the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force, which focuses on Internet-related crime. During the investigation, the task force found thousands of photographs and videos on Eyberg's computer that depicted the molestation of children as young as 3 years old.

Crockett recommended a sentence for Eyberg of 10 years in prison for each count of possession of child pornography, to be served at the same time.

Eyberg could receive up to 15 years in prison for each count, Crockett said.

Thirteenth Circuit Judge Gene Hamilton will sentence Eyberg on Aug. 24.