JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 36-year-old Mt. Vernon man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday after he pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Court to multiple child pornography charges.

James E. Hembree was arrested last month on five Class X felony counts of possessing child pornography depicting a victim under the age of 13 and Class 3 felony possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine.

Hembree pleaded guilty to all five child pornography charges and was sentenced to six years in prison on each count to be served consecutively. The meth charge was dismissed.

According to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard, his office received a tip as part of their membership in Homeland Security’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

After a search warrant for records enabled detectives to narrow down their list of suspects, a second search warrant was issued for a residence in the 300 block of Herbert in Mt. Vernon.

Detectives had been made aware Hembree could also have drug involvement, so narcotics detectives participated in the search of the home where they also reportedly recovered methamphetamine.

Hembree was taken to the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $250,000. He was scheduled to a preliminary hearing in the case Wednesday but instead pleaded guilty to the charges.