ROME, Ga. — A Bartow County man pleaded guilty to federal child enticement and evidence tampering charges on Friday in Rome.
William Eric Cooper, 45, was arrested by FBI agents after exchanging more than 1,000 chat messages with a 15-year-old, who identified herself as a ninth-grader. Many of the messages were sexual in nature.
Cooper told the child to engage in sexually explicit conduct and send him depictions of it. In exchange, he promised to meet her in North Carolina to help her run away from her family.
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When agents arrested Cooper, they seized cell phones from his car and home, which contained a sexually explicit video of the 15-year-old and more than 250 images and videos depicting other minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The enticement charges to which Cooper pleaded guilty carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 10 years of imprisonment.
His sentencing hearings are scheduled for Nov. 21 before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from several local law enforcement agencies.
“Protecting children from sexual predators is among the highest priorities for law enforcement at every level,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, who personally handled the court proceedings.
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown stated, “These crimes are especially disturbing. Those who engage in child exploitation will be held accountable for their conduct.”
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