Defendant Arrested in Child Pornography Sting
In a shocking turn of events, a former charter school principal in North Carolina has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for his involvement in a child pornography ring. Chadwick Hamby, 42, of Hendersonville, N.C., pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography in August 2012. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Martin Reidinger, will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Hamby’s accomplice, Deborah Lee Tipton, a former special education teacher at the same school, was also sentenced in connection with the case. Tipton, 45, of Burt, N.C., was given a 216-month sentence, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of 25 years.
The case against Hamby and Tipton dates back to September 10, 2011, when Tipton produced two sexually explicit videos of a child under the age of 12. The videos were then sent to Hamby via the internet, where he admitted to viewing them at least once before deleting them.
According to court records, Hamby was an educator and principal at Mountain Community School at the time of the offense. The court noted that the offense is one of lasting damage, and that the crime is all the more serious in light of Hamby’s position of trust.
The investigation into the case was led by the FBI, with the prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Thorneloe and Cortney Escaravage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Hamby has been in federal custody in the Western District since August 2012, while Tipton has been in custody since April 2012. Each defendant will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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