Susan Murphy-Milano...

WINSTON-SALEM -- Former Landis police Chief Charles Childers will serve more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography and Internet-related sex crimes.

Childers stood before a federal judge in Winston-Salem and begged for mercy on Tuesday. Childers could have been given up to 45 years for the child pornography crimes.

Childers’ family arrived at the federal courthouse in Winston-Salem Tuesday morning to find out how long his sentence would be. The former police chief appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit and shackles. His hair had grown out from his traditional buzz cut.

Childers pleaded guilty last year to three sex-related crimes. He had been free on bond until he violated the conditions of his bond by accessing e-mail via his cell phone and was rearrested last May.

In federal court Tuesday, the 51-year-old apologized to his wife, his family, members of his church and his pastor.

“I’m apologizing for standing on this side of the law,” he told Judge James A. Beaty. “I just ask for your mercy.”

Childers' attorney, Tom Cochran, said the career officer wasn't the typical sex offender and deserved a lesser punishment. He said Childers suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and severe depression. He said Childers witnessed the shooting death of his own mother. He also said Childers self-medicated with alcohol about the time the cyber crimes were committed.

However, assistant U.S. attorney Michael DeFranco said the judge should punish the offense severely and protect the public. DeFranco said Childers admitted talking online with what he thought was a teenaged girl while on duty as police chief. DeFranco also said the Internet crimes occurred before Childers’ admitted alcohol addiction began.

Childers pleaded guilty to three charges. For those, he received prison sentences of 60 months, 151 months, and 120 months which adds up to a little more than 27 years. But in Childers' favor, Judge Beaty will allow the sentences to run at the same time. Childers will end up serving about 12 years.

Childers will be in his 60s when he is released from prison and then he will have 10 years of supervised probation which includes a laundry list of guidelines he must follow. The former police chief will also have to register as a sex offender.

Defense attorney Cochran said the former police chief was not diagnosed as a pedophile in two prison evaluations, but Judge Beaty pointed out that court documents suggested Childers also minimized his answers to render those two tests invalid. Comments can be email to: Abuseofthebadge@aol.com