(South Bend, IN) - A former police officer of the La Porte County Sheriff's office will be spending a long time behind bars for sex crimes against multiple children. 

Neil Lachmund, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District at South Bend. He was given a 54 year prison sentence.

Authorities said Lachmund produced images and videos of child pornography over a 10 year period and distributed the material to other people on the internet. Tens of thousands of pieces of child pornography were found on his phone and computer. 

In 2018, Lachmund resigned from the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office following his second arrest for drunk driving.