Former WBNS (Columbus) Weatherman Mike Davis walked into court wearing a mask.

Whether it was due to the coronavirus, or to hide his face, he learned that he was going to prison.

Davis was sentenced to four to six years in prison on four charges related to possession of child pornography.

Davis had entered guilty pleas to the charges on Jan. 30. His sentencing had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and its response.

Police say they found almost 16,000 images of child porn on his computers. “The number of pictures should not be the driving force behind whatever sentence the court intends to impose,” Davis’ attorney Terry Sherman wrote in a motion filed May 20.

Prosecutors also said Davis lacked true remorse for the “thousands of felonies” he committed. “He objectifies these abused children by referring to them as ‘it’ and his crime as ‘collecting,’ comparing it to collecting toys, comic books and coins,” prosecutors wrote.

Speaking before the court, Davis said he hadn’t originally understood that his actions victimized children, but understands that now. “I’ve also victimized my wife, my kids, my family, my friends and all the good people of central Ohio who trusted me for over 30 years on television, so I’m sorry for all of that,” he said.

“I have no excuse for compulsively collecting the images,” Davis continued. “It’s just something I did, and I’m ashamed for having done it.”

Judge Karen Phipps called the facts of the case “horrendous,” noting she was more concerned about the length of Davis’ actions — seven years — than the number of images.

“You groomed your family and your coworkers to allow you to engage in a sex offense for seven years and go undetected,” she said.

Phipps also said she was concerned that Davis referred to the children in the images as objects “These are victims who were groomed and abused for years to get them to participate in these acts,” she said. “You chose to support an industry that re-victimized these children over and over for years.”

H/T LimaOhio.com