Man charged with child exploitation

A Horn Lake man has been charged with child exploitation, according to the office of Mississippi Atty. Gen. Jim Hood.

Kenath Dwayne Peal, 55, was arrested Tuesday by investigators with the attorney general’s Cyber Crime Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to a statement from Hood’s office.

Peal was charged with one count of child exploitation. No other details were released.

He was booked into the DeSoto County Jail, and bond has not been set. director Mark Sturgis.

“We have a huge problem,” he said. “We have the information based on ZIP code, grade bands and number of school days missed. The information is there; it’s a matter of putting it to use.”

Woods suggests SCS spend “real dollars” marketing itself and the importance of being in school and “quickly deploy real people to help find those kids and identify wraparound services (social services) as well. These kids are not sitting home playing video games. There are likely other issues associated with why they are not in school.”

Board member Teresa Jones says the district needs to connect with the judicial system, itself trying to find creative ways to fight truancy.

New board member Stephanie Love, who represents voters in Frayser and Raleigh, proposed knocking on doors herself.

“I want to help the superintendent. We could be out in the community too, helping this administration.”

Board member Shante Avante doesn’t want the issue put on hold until the board meets in late September. “It would behoove us to have staff in student services come up with a triage plan for the next 30 days.”