Sprinkle found guilty of attempted child exploitation
By Debbie Lowe Staff writer

Sprinkle

Leon Sprinkle, 48, learned his fate when a jury of his peers found him guilty of attempted child exploitation April 18 late in the afternoon in Carroll Circuit Court. Judge Donald Currie read the verdict, which was the result of a three-hour deliberation by the 12 jurors.

After polling the jurors at the request of defense attorney Patrick Manahan, Currie said the final decision was a "true verdict of this jury."

"I felt a sense of justice with the verdict," Carroll County Prosecutor Tricia Thompson said. "The system worked."

"I have nothing personal against the defendant," Carroll County Sheriff Detective Steve Mullin said after the verdict was read. "What he did and intended to do was wrong. Our community will be a safer place for children as a result of this verdict."

The trial began April 16 with jury selection. Testimony commenced the next morning and concluded at noon on April 18.

The young victim testified during the three-day trial and at times, struggled to maintain composure while on the witness stand.

"I was pleased to be able to stand up for someone who has been victimized," Thompson said after court adjourned.

"This is the type of case I feel very strongly about," she added. "I agreed with the verdict. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to do the job that I do."

This was the first of two trials for Sprinkle. He is charged with five counts of possession of child pornography stemming from the same June 2006 investigation and will be tried for those allegations in a separate action tentatively scheduled for early June.

An omnibus hearing, an opportunity for the defendant to plead guilty to the additional charges, will be May 24 at 1 p.m.

Alternate juror, Don Billings, told the Comet that he was surprised at some of the testimony.

"It was graphic," Billings said.

Billings said that in the role of alternate juror, he was not permitted to comment or ask questions during the trial or in deliberation.

Billings said that in his opinion, most of the jurors were in agreement after the first hour of deliberation. However, two more hours of discussion were needed to achieve a unanimous verdict.

"But that was okay," he said. "That is the way it is supposed to work."