Columbia County man sentenced for production of child pornography

Alexandra Koch, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read

A Columbia County man was sentenced to federal prison for creating and possessing images depicting the sexual exploitation of a child.

Michael Benjamin Buckner, 39, of Grovetown, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to Attempted Production of Child Pornography, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Buckner $3,500, ordered him to register as a sex offender and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Grovetown Department of Public Safety, and the Columbia County Board of Education Police Department, according to a media release.

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Investigators from the Grovetown Department of Public Safety arrested Buckner and his wife, Amber Buckner, 37, of Grovetown, in October 2021 on a charge of cruelty to children after they were alerted by officers from the Columbia County Board of Education Police, according to the release.

In a subsequent search of Michael Buckner’s cell phone, investigators and FBI agents discovered photos depicting sexually explicit images of children, according to the release.

In addition to his federal sentence, Michael Buckner also faces state prosecution for cruelty to children, according to the release. Amber Buckner is serving a 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in December 2022 to a state charge of cruelty to children.

“Our community and its children are much safer with this lengthy prison sentence handed down to Buckner,” said Keri Farley, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “We strive every day to protect our children and will continue to use every law enforcement resource available to identify and prosecute individuals who exploit children in such a manner.”

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Columbia County man sentenced to federal prison for child pornography