William Sandridge and his wife Allyn Sandridge, a former middle school special education teacher, have been sentenced to federal prison for having involvement in the distribution of child sex abuse images.
The case dates all the way back to 2017, when the husband apparently made known his sexual fantasies with prepubescent children. Some of the messages reportedly included explicit images of children. Allyn was employed as a middle school special education teacher at a charter school in Canton at the time, per WAGA-TV.
Allyn apparently operated under the direction of her husband, sometimes deleting these criminal text messages and using an encrypted messaging application to evade detection and conceal William’s horrific crimes.
The situation took a dramatic turn on December 29, 2022, when federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Sandridge’s home. They received a tip from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to the report.
The authorities recovered multiple cell phones and a desktop computer that contained many graphic images of child sex abuse. Allyn cooperated with the authorities and revealed the material William had sent to her phone.
Federal prosecutors even mentioned that some of the images featured children actively engaged in sexually explicit material.
“By sharing images depicting the sexual violation of minors, the defendants re-victimized children whose lives have been forever altered by this abuse,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said, according to a report released on Thursday.
“The conduct in this case is especially egregious given that one of the defendants, a schoolteacher, occupied a position of trust in the community. The Department of Justice is committed to helping to ensure the safety and well-being of children, so we especially place a high priority on protecting and combating sexual exploitation of minors. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect children from sexual predators and pedophiles.”
U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II, handed down the sentencing for the married couple. William was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison, along with a lifetime of supervised release. Allyn was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
The report mentioned the investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Calhoun Police Department.
“The possession and distribution of child pornography poses a great threat to our communities. The GBI is devoted to protecting minors in our state and will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure we hold those accountable who sexually exploit children,” Chris Hosey, Director, of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said.
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