Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Coach Pleads Guilty; Sentencing in Child Sex Case

James Huskey pleaded guilty today to being the individual running what prosecutors tabbed one of the most notable child porn series worldwide.

A former private tennis coach in the city of LaFayette, Huskey is looking at a possible 70 years in prison and a fine of $750,000. He reportedly produced videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl, while sometimes wearing a Mardi Gras type mask.

Prosecutors accused Huskey of sexually assaulting a minor and posting increasingly violent photos and videos of him and the girl - which authorities have dubbed the "Tara" series - on Internet sites. The girl is reportedly now nine years old.

Elsewhere, Carl Mitchell Hooper, 29, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., has been sentenced to serve more than 15 years in prison on a charge of transporting a Georgia minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity.

According to authorities, through his brother, who lived in a trailer park in Walker County, Georgia, Hooper met the girl, 13, who lived in the same park. Shortly after she turned 14, Hooper reportedly developed a sexual relationship with her.

At the time, Hooper was on probation for statutory rape but had failed to register as a sex offender. On June 15, 2006, the day after Hooper learned that an arrest warrant had been taken out based on his failure to register, he took the 14-year-old victim to a motel in Tennessee.

The next day, Hooper took his victim to Jacksonville, Florida. The Jacksonville Police found them sleeping on the beach at night and asked Hooper for identification. Hooper showed his Tennessee driver’s license, and a check revealed that Hooper was wanted for abducting the victim. Hooper reportedly told the police that he knew that the victim was 14 years old, and he added that he believed that having sex with her was “okay” because she was pregnant with his child.

Hooper has been in custody since his arrest in Jacksonville.

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