Former DeSoto County Elementary Teacher Sentenced for Possession of Child Exploitation Materials

ABERDEEN, MS - An Olive Branch, Mississippi man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for possessing images and videos of children under 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Prior to his arrest, he was an elementary school teacher.

According to court documents, Mitchell Cantrell, 37, was downloading and viewing child sexual abuse content from the internet. The content found on his electronic devices included sexual materials involving preteens, toddlers, and infants. The Southaven Police Department identified and investigated this case and worked with the United States Attorney's Office to prosecute Cantrell.

In addition to his prison term, Cantrell was sentenced to ten years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender where he lives, where he works, and where he is a student.

Scott Leary, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi stated, "As Americans we are unfortunately divided on so many issues. There are, however, certain issues upon which we should all agree. Foremost is society's responsibility to protect children. There is simply no room for child exploitation in our country. I thank the citizens of this great state for standing with federal and state law enforcement in combating these crimes. With the advent of advanced technology, investigating child exploitation is becoming more complex - we must remain vigilant. We should all be proud of the great job the Southaven Police Department did in investigating this case. The Project Safe Childhood initiative is working; federal and state law enforcement are working together to protect our kids. Perhaps one day we can stamp out this scourge."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC