A 39-year-old man was arrested last week on two counts of child exploitation for possession of child pornography, Attorney General Jim Hood announced.

Michael Justin Palmer was arrested at his home in Picayune after an investigation of his suspicious online activity. He was booked into the Pearl River County jail on a $40,000 bond for each count.

If convicted, Palmer faces up to 80 years in prison for both counts combined. A charge is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with assistance from the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office, which is an affiliate of the ICAC Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Brandon Ogburn.

A total of 170 people have been convicted of child exploitation crimes to date by General Hood’s ICAC Task Force.