Rathdrum man given 6 years in prison for having child pornography

A Rathdrum man was sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for downloading child pornography.

Michael John Brandal, 48, was sentenced in 1st District Court to six years in prison. He must serve at least two years of that and will be eligible for parole if he completes required programs in prison.

Brandal was charged after an investigation by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force revealed he had downloaded child pornography. Officers searched his home and seized his computer on Dec. 18, 2014. They found hundreds of images of children in various states of undress.

He was sentenced by 1st District Judge Cynthia Meyer for three counts of possession of sexually exploitive materials. Kootenai County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jed Whitaker prosecuted the case.