Chattanooga Times Free Press

Man sentenced for sex crimes

- BY SOFIA SARIC STAFF WRITER Contact Sofia Saric at ssaric@timesfreep­ress.com or 423-757-6476.

A North Georgia man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributi­ng child pornograph­y and a “crush video,” which is a sexually explicit image of an animal.

Eric Lee Bagley, 44, of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty in January to both charges as part of an agreement with federal prosecutor­s, a hearing record shows. Bagley was sentenced Thursday in the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse in Chattanoog­a.

The maximum sentence for both charges was 27 years, the plea agreement states.

Bagley was also charged with traveling to engage in sexual activity with a child less than 12 years old and exploitati­on of a minor, but those charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal, the indictment shows.

In February 2023, Bagley contacted an undercover officer on an online platform called Kik, the agreement states.

The undercover officer was posing as a woman who would be able to sexually abuse her 8-year-old niece.

Bagley told the officer he wanted to include a dog in the sexual contact with them both, the agreement states.

Shortly after this conversati­on, Bagley was arrested on unrelated state charges in Georgia and stopped communicat­ing with the undercover officer, the agreement states.

Bagley was eventually released from state custody, and he re-initiated contact with the undercover officer.

He sent her videos, including sexual explicit content of minors and animals engaging in sexual conduct with adults and minors. There were seven videos of children and three videos of animals.

The “crush videos” depicted a dog having sex with a woman, the agreement states.

Bagley sent those sexually explicit videos across state lines from Georgia to Shelbyvill­e, Tennessee, which made it a federal crime.

He then drove to Shelbyvill­e with the intent of engaging in sexual contact with the made-up woman and 8-year-old, the agreement states.

Bagley was arrested July 27.

He is required to register as a sex offender, and he was ordered not to own, possess or have access to animals.

 ?? STAFF PHOTO BY ROBIN RUDD ?? The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse and Miller Park are seen before sunrise in 2024. Eric Lee Bagley, 44, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison.
STAFF PHOTO BY ROBIN RUDD The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse and Miller Park are seen before sunrise in 2024. Eric Lee Bagley, 44, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States