SKOWHEGAN — A former case manager for a Maine-based mental health provider has been sentenced to serve a year in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.

Jared Moody, 37, of Skowhegan, who worked for Augusta-based Direct Community Care, pleaded guilty last week to a charge of possession of sexually explicit material depicting children under the age of 12, according to District Attorney Maeghan Maloney. He was sentenced to five years in the state prison, with all but 12 months suspended, and two years of probation once he is released.

Jared Moody

Cory Swope, administrator at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison, said Moody reported to the jail Tuesday to begin serving his sentence. He was to be taken to the Maine Department of Corrections to serve out his term, Swope said.

Moody was arrested at his home by Maine State Police in March based on a tip from the public. Direct Community Care is an Augusta-based agency that provides opportunities for people with mental disabilities through skill development and comprehensive support, according to its Facebook page. A woman answering the phone in March at offices in Augusta confirmed that Moody was case manager at that office.

Members of the Maine State Police computer crime unit searched Moody’s home off U.S. Route 201 in Skowhegan and seized his personal electronic devices.

A preliminary analysis of Moody’s computer revealed hundreds of files depicting child pornography, police said in March. Homeland Security investigators assisted state police with the investigation.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

Twitter:@Doug_Harlow