COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) -- A Columbus man has lost his attempt to have his conviction for child exploitation overturned.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals rejected the claims by Tommie Harris, 32.
Harris was arrested and charged with the crime after he sent text sexually suggestive messages to a teenage girl.
The girl showed them to her mother and another woman who called authorities.
A Lowndes County jury convicted Harris in August of 2011 and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, five probation, and ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Harris claims the text messages alone were not enough to convict him.
In the ruling Tuesday, the Mississippi Court of Appeals stated the state law only requires solicitation, not physical contact, for the child exploitation charge to be filed.
