Former Middle School Teacher Arrested On Child Pornography Charges

ATLANTA - William Kimbrell has been arraigned on federal charges of accessing with intent to view child pornography.  Kimbrell was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 18, 2014.

"This now-former middle school teacher has been indicted on child pornography charges," said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. "Through the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, this defendant is no longer teaching, and will face the consequences of his actions."

“Consumers of child pornography create a demand for the sexual exploitation of children that has resulted in an explosion of abuse across the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Brock D. Nicholson of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Atlanta. “No matter how cleverly a suspect may think he has covered his tracks by deleting or encrypting illegal photos and videos, our special agents and computer forensic analysts are highly trained and skilled at finding the evidence of their crimes.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court:  Starting in October 2012, a sheriff's office detective in southern Georgia found that a person at an apartment complex in Statesboro, Ga., was distributing child pornography.  In late December 2012 and continuing into January 2013, this same person was still offering child pornography for distribution, but this time the computer’s Internet protocol address came back to a residence in Covington, Ga. 

When special agents with Homeland Security Investigations learned of the offense this year, they identified the subject as William Kimbrell, and obtained federal search warrants for his home in Covington.  At that time, Kimbrell was working as a middle school teacher in Barrow County, Ga.  When the agents executed the search warrants, they found that Kimbrell had deleted the bulk of the child pornography on his computer.  The computer forensics analyst, however, was able to find remnants of files on the computer and was able to determine that Kimbrell had accessed child pornography on the Internet from October to December 2013, which includes the period that he was working as a teacher.  Kimbrell resigned from his position as a middle school teacher on March 17, 2014.

William Kimbrell, 27, of Covington, Ga., was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard.  Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul R. Jones is prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.