CULLMAN, Ala. – A Cullman County man on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, was sentenced to 325 years in prison by Cullman County Circuit Court Judge Emily Niezer Johnston. James Michael Doss, 67, earlier this year entered a blind plea of guilty to 12 charges stemming from his initial 2020 arrest.
According to Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker, Doss entered a blind plea of guilty back in February to two counts of first-degree sodomy, one count of production of child pornography, two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12 and seven counts of possession of child pornography.
Doss was sentenced to a total of 325 years, to be served consecutively.
At the time of the plea in February 2026, Crocker said in a statement, “This case was first up for trial on March 9. We were ready to go, but Mr. Doss entered a ‘blind plea,’ which is a guilty plea without a plea agreement. I appreciate the hard work of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, specifically, Sheriff Matt Gentry for working directly with me to get this case ready and for being in court with us this morning. The victims in this case remained steadfast and strong after suffering unspeakable harm at the hands of Mr. Doss. These victims never gave up on justice and neither did we. I look forward to being back in court with them for sentencing.”
Doss in 2020 faced two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, two counts of first-degree sodomy and one count of production of obscene material containing a visual depiction of a child younger than 17.
A media release from the CCSO at the time of Doss’ 2020 arrest said investigators conducted a short investigation and it was determined Doss committed the sexual abuse crimes over many years.
“I would like to thank the investigators who worked this case on the great job they did,” said Gentry said at the time. “As soon as the victims came forward, they moved swiftly to conduct an investigation, follow up on leads and ultimately make this arrest.”
In a statement to The Tribune on April 8, following Doss’ sentencing, Crocker said, “No sentence is too harsh for a pedophile. Doss showed zero remorse, and I believe he would reoffend if given the chance. The good news is he won’t, because of this 325-year sentence. I am so proud of our victims – they are heroes for coming forward and helping us put Doss’ reign of terror to an end. I am also very appreciative of the men and women at Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, as well as my staff, for giving this case their all.”
Due to the graphic nature of the crimes and the crimes involving minors, The Tribune is not reporting specific details of Doss’ crimes.
