A convicted Michigan sex offender who was paroled and allowed to relocate to another state has now been sentenced to 200 years in prison after being caught possessing child sexual abuse material in Alabama.
According to the Marshall County District Attorney’s Office, Gary Stephen Greenwell, 67, of Guntersville, was sentenced Monday, January 5, 2026 by Judge Matt Elliott to the maximum possible sentence after pleading guilty to 10 felony counts of possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Greenwell entered a blind guilty plea in October 2025, meaning there was no sentencing agreement with prosecutors. Due to a prior felony conviction, the statutory sentencing range for each count was 2 to 20 years. Judge Elliott imposed 20 years on each count, ordered to run consecutively.
That prior conviction was not minor.
Investigators confirmed Greenwell was previously convicted by a Michigan jury for molesting a teenage boy, receiving a 25 to 45 year prison sentence in that case. Despite the seriousness of that conviction, Greenwell was paroled in 2017, later relocating to Alabama, where he registered as a sex offender as required by law.
In late March 2025, an investigator with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office received a tip through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force indicating that CSAM had been uploaded from an IP address tied to Greenwell’s residence.
Based on the tip and Greenwell’s known criminal history, investigators obtained a search warrant for his home and electronic devices. Digital forensic analysis later revealed more than 10,000 images depicting pre-pubescent boys and girls being raped and sodomized across five devices seized from Greenwell’s home..
Greenwell was arrested on April 1, 2025 and has remained jailed since.
At sentencing, Greenwell spoke for roughly 30 minutes about his career and life accomplishments but never accepted responsibility, nor acknowledged the harm caused by his actions.
District Attorney Jennifer Bray emphasized that the case underscores the danger posed when convicted sex offenders are released and allowed to relocate.
“The volume and nature of the material found in his possession is horrifying,” Bray said. “The sentence imposed reflects the severity of these crimes and ensures this offender will never have the opportunity to harm children again.”
The case highlights a troubling pattern seen nationwide: a convicted child predator released from prison, moving across state lines, and reoffending in a new community. In this case, Alabama prosecutors ensured the cycle ended permanently.
Greenwell will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
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