'Worst' child-porn case man gets prison

LONDON, Ohio (AP) - A central Ohio man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for amassing a collection of more than 177,000 child pornography images on his home computer.

Prosecutors in Madison County, west of Columbus, called 44-year-old Donald Lemasters the worst child-pornography purveyor they had ever seen.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Common Pleas Judge Robert Nichols handed down the prison sentence over the pleas of Lemasters' wife, who told the judge that prison time would make life too difficult for their five children.

Lemasters was charged in August 2011 after a Franklin County Internet-crimes task force linked him to an illegal file-sharing website. Prosecutors have said they found no evidence that he took any of the photos, and none of the children appeared to be from the area.