MARION COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) – In Marion County, a man pled guilty to one count of child exploitation. William A. Chapman, 39, was sentenced to 10 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) on Wednesday, July 21.
According to Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Chapman was also sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay $1,000 to the Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund, $1,000 to the Victims of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation Fund, $1,000 to the Public Defenders Fund, an additional $4,000 penalty, and all court costs.
Fitch said the case originated from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) tip about a Google user who uploaded several images of child sexual abuse material. While executing a search warrant at Chapman’s home, investigators said they located a cellular device that contained multiple images.
Chapman will be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison.
“Targeting vulnerable children and exploiting them for personal pleasure is unconscionable, particularly when you consider the trauma these vicious predators inflict. Their victims lose their innocence and suffer long after the actual act of exploitation. I commend our talented team of investigators and prosecutors in the Cyber Crime Division for their work to keep child predators offline and out of our communities,” said Fitch.