BRANCH COUNTY — “I don’t want to go to prison,” Christopher Fowler, 46, told Circuit Judge Bill O’Grady on Monday after he pleaded no contest to possession of child sexually abusive material.

Fowler, of Coldwater, admitted he had no choice after a Michigan State Police computer crimes specialist searched his home and electronics in October 2020.

The judge sentenced Fowler to 5-10 years in prison.

Fowler tried to withdraw his guilty plea Monday, claiming public defender Shelly Hoffman had not given him the information he wanted about the law and his case.

Fowler wanted her to file over 30 motions before the court of which Hoffman felt none had any legal merit.

O’Grady pointed out Fowler had all the information about the case including that agents found pictures as young as 5 years old having sex.

Fowler said his wife, who was in court with their 4-year-old son, did some research “and found this shouldn’t have gone this far.” Fowler never claimed he was not guilty.

O’Grady pointed out Fowler waived all his rights, which he said he understood during his guilty plea.

“I think the defendant was hoping that he would be able to somehow skirt out on some sort of a technicality,” Prosecutor Zack Stempien said.

Stempien noted MSP trooper specialists conducted the computer search the same way they did on thousands of similar cases.

“You were found with over 4,000 pictures of child porn on your computer,” which Fowler admitted he downloaded, Stempien said.

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Stempien called it a severe crime with serious consequences for the young victims.

Fowler tried a different tack.

“I would never think to do that to any child, myself.”

He said he did not like child rape, but indicated he had no issues with viewing such acts if the children were consenting.

Fowler quickly added: “I was disgusted, myself, even as I watched it.”

"But you were so disgusted that you looked at it 2,300 times,” O'Grady said.

Fowler was charged as a fourth time habitual offender for breaking and entering in 1996 and resisting arrest.

Stempien and the judge pointed out if Fowler went to trial and lost, he would face life in prison.

“I had no choice but to take the plea,” Fowler said.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater man gets 5-10 years in prison for child porn possession