From District Attorney General Stephen Hatchett Facebook: In the summer of 2023, the Cleveland Police Department received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”).
The tip stated that a user in Cleveland, Tennessee uploaded two images of child sexual abuse material to a website called BingImage.
BingImage is an AI-assisted tool which allows a user to upload an image and locate additional images which are similar to the one uploaded.
BingImage blocked the uploads and reported the activity to NCMEC. NCMEC notified the Cleveland Police Department. Detective Matthew Landolt was assigned to the case.
His investigation revealed that the uploads originated at an address on Overbrook Circle in Cleveland, Tennessee. The home was owned by Richard Lee Sentell and his wife.
Mr. Sentell was, at the time, the senior pastor at Cornerstone Church of God.
Detective Landolt obtained a search warrant for the property.
Detectives from the Cleveland Police Department discovered a suspicious laptop located wedged between a mattress and a box spring in a downstairs bedroom in the residence.
Detectives Landolt searched the laptop and discovered 124 unique images of child sexual abuse material.
The majority of the images depicted prepubescent children being sexually assaulted.
Data on the laptop indicated that Richard Lee Sentell was the owner and user of the laptop.
Additionally, data on the laptop indicated that Mr. Sentell had searched for and otherwise sought out child sexual abuse material for many months, typically late at night or early in the morning.
Today, Richard Lee Sentell entered a guilty plea to the indicted charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.
He received a sentence of eight years to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
Due to new truth in sentencing laws, Mr. Sentell will not be eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney General Sean Boers handled the prosecution.
The tip stated that a user in Cleveland, Tennessee uploaded two images of child sexual abuse material to a website called BingImage.
BingImage is an AI-assisted tool which allows a user to upload an image and locate additional images which are similar to the one uploaded.
BingImage blocked the uploads and reported the activity to NCMEC. NCMEC notified the Cleveland Police Department. Detective Matthew Landolt was assigned to the case.
His investigation revealed that the uploads originated at an address on Overbrook Circle in Cleveland, Tennessee. The home was owned by Richard Lee Sentell and his wife.
Mr. Sentell was, at the time, the senior pastor at Cornerstone Church of God.
Detective Landolt obtained a search warrant for the property.
Detectives from the Cleveland Police Department discovered a suspicious laptop located wedged between a mattress and a box spring in a downstairs bedroom in the residence.
Detectives Landolt searched the laptop and discovered 124 unique images of child sexual abuse material.
The majority of the images depicted prepubescent children being sexually assaulted.
Data on the laptop indicated that Richard Lee Sentell was the owner and user of the laptop.
Additionally, data on the laptop indicated that Mr. Sentell had searched for and otherwise sought out child sexual abuse material for many months, typically late at night or early in the morning.
Today, Richard Lee Sentell entered a guilty plea to the indicted charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.
He received a sentence of eight years to serve in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
Due to new truth in sentencing laws, Mr. Sentell will not be eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney General Sean Boers handled the prosecution.
Posted in Local News
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