Chad D. Isbell, a 59-year-old resident of McKenzie, Tennessee, was sentenced on Apr. 2 to 15 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, according to D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
The case is significant as it involves the use of technology in committing and documenting sexual crimes against children. The prosecution said that Isbell recorded himself sexually assaulting a seven-year-old child using his cell phone and then sent the video to the child’s mother via a social media application. The mother reported the incident immediately to law enforcement.
Isbell admitted to making and storing the video on his cell phone after being confronted by police. He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography before Senior United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen, who handed down a sentence that includes five years of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
Isbell also faces related charges at the state level with a pending indictment in Carroll County Circuit Court for Aggravated Sexual Battery involving unlawful sexual contact with a victim under age thirteen.
“Sexual predators who victimize children cannot hide from ultimate detection and aggressive prosecution by this office. Production and possession of child pornography victimizes, harms, and exploits vulnerable children in a horrific way, and must be met with significant consequences,” Dunavant said.
The investigation involved members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, McKenzie Police Department, and Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted the case.
