ELK POINT, S.D. — A Beresford, South Dakota, man accused of sexually assaulting a toddler was sentenced Monday to 40 years in prison for possession of child pornography.
Mark Cornish, 30, pleaded guilty in January in Union County Circuit Court to four counts of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to a term of 10 years imprisonment on each count. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively.
Cornish
Cornish was indicted in September on 39 counts of possession of child pornography and single counts of first-degree rape and sexual exploitation of a minor. The remaining counts were dismissed.
Authorities began investigating Cornish on Aug. 26, when police were notified of his behavior with a 13-year-old girl at the Family Dollar store. The girl told police she had babysat Cornish’s two children and that she and Cornish had kissed, hugged and cuddled at his home. She also admitted they had sent nude photos of themselves to each other.
On Aug. 29, police seized Cornish’s cellphone and laptop during a search of his home, where he lived with his fiancée and their two young children.
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Investigators searching the phone and laptop found dozens of downloaded images and videos of nude children, some engaged in sexual activity. Investigators also found a video of the rape of a child they believed was taken on Cornish’s phone inside his home.
