William Eugene Wicker Jr., of Vicksburg, will spend five years in prison after pleading guilty to sending or transmitting child pornography, Attorney General Jim Hood announced.

Warren County Circuit Court Judge M. James Chaney Jr. sentenced Wicker, 41, on one count of child exploitation Monday.

Chaney sentenced him to 40 years in prison with five years to serve and five years on supervised probation. Wicker must also pay $1,000 to the Crime Victims Fund, $1,000 to the Children’s Trust Fund and register as a sex offender.

“We appreciate the assistance from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office on this case, and I thank Judge Chaney for putting another child predator behind bars,” Hood said. “Our investigation uncovered that this man was sending child pornography through online channels, and his actions were properly reported to our office from a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. No child predator is safe in our state, even if they hide behind a computer screen.”

Special Assistant Attorney General Brandon Ogburn, of the AG’s Cybercrime Unit, prosecuted this case.