COVINGTON, La. — A 21-year-old Louisiana man has pleaded guilty to 500 counts of possessing child pornography.

District Attorney Warren Montgomery says Ryan Horak of Madisonville faces 10 to 40 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled in April.

Montgomery says the investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified state authorities that a St. Tammany Parish man was uploading thousands of images of suspected child pornography to his Dropbox account.

He says Horak pleaded guilty Tuesday, just before potential jurors were to enter the courtroom for jury selection.