Accused pleads guilty to child molestation, child exploitation
By Debbie Lowe Staff writer

Munson

Life is about the choices a person makes. There are times in every life when a direction or path has to be decided upon.

That was the case when Keith O. Munson, 31, of rural Carroll County, appeared Feb. 21 in Carroll Circuit Court for an omnibus hearing. The omnibus hearing is a time for a defendant to choose to either plead guilty or go to trial.

Munson was charged with child molestation and child exploitation in Carroll County on June 26, 2006.

Munson's court-appointed attorney Curtis Fouts informed Judge Donald Currie at the hearing that his client decided to change his former plea of not guilty to guilty. He said Munson would accept a plea agreement offered by county prosecutor Tricia Thompson.

Munson admitted, under oath, he had devious sexual conduct with a child he knew to be under the age of 14 and that he possessed digitized photos of child r e n engaging in sexual acts who were under the age of 14.

The agreement calls for Munson to forgo a trial, waiving his right to appeal and serve 22 years in prison plus six additional years on probation. He would not be allowed to have contact with or live within one mile of the victim after being released from prison. Although no restitution was requested, Munson agreed to no unsupervised contact with anyone less than 18 years of age after his release.

In exchange the prosecutor agreed to dismiss counts II, III, and V and amend count I, a child molestation charge, from a Class A to a Class B felony.

Currie found Munson guilty and accepted the plea agreement. Munson will be formally sentenced April 3 at 2 p.m.

Munson is listed as a witness for the prosecution in the child pornography case of Leon Sprinkle, scheduled for trial March 19 at 9 a.m. Munson and Sprinkle shared a residence in rural Carroll County before both were arrested in mid-2006.