A man from Mountain Grove faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in Springfield federal court to charges of possessing thousands of images of child pornography.

The U-S Attorney’s office says 57-year old Ricky Burton Friend was indicted in June after taking his computer to a store for repairs after it was damaged during a storm.  An employee of the store found child pornography while working on the computer and notified authorities.  After Friend picked up his repaired computer, law enforcement officers arrived to search his home just as a child pornography video was downloading. 

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled.