Ex-coach pleads guilty to lesser charge in locker room video

Published 11:41 am Monday, July 22, 2019

(AP) — A northeast Mississippi man is pleading guilty to a federal charge of trying to possess child pornography after a judge set aside a plea to a more serious charge.

Micah Macay Wilbanks of Corinth on Thursday pleaded guilty to a single count.

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Authorities say a student found Wilbanks’ cellphone hidden in a girls’ locker room at Kossuth Middle School in May 2018. Wilbanks then coached at the school.

Wilbanks faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills in April rejected Wilbanks’ earlier guilty plea to attempted production of child pornography. It carried a minimum prison sentence of 15 years.

Documents say Wilbanks appeared impaired and deputies overheard Wilbanks describing himself as a “pedophile.”

Sentencing is set for Sept. 19.