The U.S. Department of Justice reports that a southeastern Illinois man has been sentenced to federal prison on child sex charges.
31 Zachary Nichols of Newton plead guilty to two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and one count of Permitting or Assisting a Parent or Guardian in the Sexual Exploitation of a Child. Those charges stem from incidents of abuse by both Nichols and another man Dustin Cox on an 11 year old victim over a number of years. Cox has also plead guilty to charges in the case and will be sentenced at a later date. Meanwhile, Nichols has been given 42 years and will be on lifetime mandatory supervised release once his prison term is complete.