COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge has denied a motion by former 10TV meteorologist Mike Davis for an early release from prison on a child pornography sentence.
In January 2020, Davis pleaded guilty to four counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor.
At the sentencing hearing, he apologized to his friends and family and said there was "no excuse" for his compulsive collection of close to 16,000 images of children being sexually abused.
He initially faced between 25 to 29.5 years in prison but was sentenced to a minimum of four years.
In court documents, Davis' attorney Adam Nemann said he was eligible for judicial release consideration after serving approximately 16 months of his sentence.
Nemann argued Davis should be released due to the fact he did not have a prior criminal record, sought out therapeutic treatments to address his issues prior to his sentence and had "shown genuine remorse for his crimes."
In a rebuttal, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Kara Keating said Davis failed to acknowledge his crimes in his request nor that he is a sexual offender.
On Thursday, Judge Karen Held Phipps denied the request, saying Davis offered arguments and evidence that was considered at the sentencing hearing and any new information “does not sufficiently demonstrate Defendant is amenable to community control sanctions.”
“Additionally, Defendant persists in arguing that his ‘fall from grace’ should be considered in the context of whether he has been punished enough,” Phipps wrote. “Defendant's references to damage to both his personal and professional life merely show the consequences of his criminal conduct but are not statutory factors to be considered in determining the appropriate punishment under the purposes and principles of sentencing.”