A 48-year-old Vicksburg man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl in 2010, District Attorney Ricky Smith said.

Jimmy Ross, whose address was 1402 South St., entered a last-minute guilty plea Sept. 3 as jury selection was about to get under way for his criminal trial in Warren County Circuit Court.

Smith said presiding Judge Isadore Patrick had ruled at a hearing several days earlier that a confession Ross made following his arrest would be allowed into testimony. The child also was prepared to testify, and investigators had physical evidence to present at the trial, Smith said.

Instead, Ross entered an “open” plea, meaning no DA recommendation for sentencing had been made.

Patrick ordered a pre-sentencing report to be completed by the prosecution and defense before deciding on the sentence.

Ross was arrested May 10, 2010, around 3 a.m. at 124 Elizabeth Circle. Assistant District Attorney Lane Campbell, the prosecuting attorney, said the assault took place there after Ross, who was staying at the residence, had returned from a bar. The child was there spending the night with a friend, Campbell said.

Under Mississippi Department of Corrections guidelines, Ross is not eligible for earned early release. Following his prison term he will be on probation for five years and must register for life as a sex offender.

Patrick also assessed Ross a $3,000 fine, $322.50 in court costs and $1,000 to go to the victim compensation fund.