Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the following four sentencings in child exploitation cases from across Mississippi.

“The physical, mental, and emotional injuries caused by child exploitation will be felt by the victims for a lifetime,” said Attorney General LynnFitch. “My office is committed to investigating and prosecuting these cases, and we are grateful to have such strong partners in law enforcement agencies across the State. But our best partners in this fight are concerned citizens who report suspected abuse. Your tip can save a child’s life.”

On August 1, 2022, Matthew Robert Strempler of Bay St. Louis pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Hancock County Circuit JudgeLisa P. Dodson on one count of Child Exploitation. Strempler was sentenced to a term of 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) with 18 to serve and five years of post-release supervision. He will serve day for day without the possibility of parole and will have to register as a sex offender.

On June 30, 2022, Mikel Peter Carlson of Stonewall pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Clarke County Circuit Judge Robert “Bo” Bailey on two separate counts of Possession of Child Exploitation Material. On the first count, Carlson was sentenced to a term of 40 years in the custody of MDOC with five years to serve and five years of post-release supervision. On the second count, Carlson was sentenced to a term of 40 years in the custody of the MDOC with ten years to serve and five years of post-release supervision. The terms of imprisonment will run consecutively. Carlson will serve day for day without the possibility of parole and will have to register as a sex offender.

On June 29, 2022, Caleb Schooley of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Desoto County Circuit Judge Celeste Embry Wilson on one count of Child Exploitation (enticing a child to meet for sexually explicit purpose). Schooley was sentenced to a term of 40 years in the custody of the MDOC with 15 to serve, five years supervised probation, and 20 years of non-reporting probation. He will serve day for day without the possibility of parole and will have to register as a sex offender.

On June 27, 2022, Christopher Adam Deen of Covington County pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Covington County Circuit Judge Stanley Sorey on two counts of Child Exploitation. On the first count, Deen was sentenced to a term of 20 years in the custody of the MDOC with ten to serve and five years of post-release supervision. On the second count, Deen was sentenced to the same and the sentences will be served concurrently. He will serve day for day without the possibility of parole and will have to register as a sex offender. Schooley’s arrest in April 2021 resulted from Operation Blue Rain, a multi-jurisdictional operation coordinated by the Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Division. The Hernando Police Department, Panola County Sheriff’s Office, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Tishomingo County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security participated in that operation.

If you have information about a child being sexually exploited online, please report it to 1-800-843-5678. The hotline is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and tips are reported to the Attorney General’s Office. You can also make a report online atwww.cybertipline.org.