NATCHEZ — A Natchez man was charged Friday with committing sexual crimes against juveniles, Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said.

Jerry Dewayne Penton, 39, 15 Atkinson Lane, was charged with two counts of sexual battery and two counts of exploitation of children. The sheriff said Penton’s arrest was the result of an investigation that lasted more than a year.

The alleged crimes happened over the course of multiple years, Mayfield said.

Penton was being held Saturday in the Adams County Jail on a $200,000 bond.