August 4, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-- Trenedy Monroe Brooks, 29, of Thornhill, Tenn., entered pleas of guilty on August 4, 2011, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, to using a cellular telephone to entice a female minor to have sexual intercourse with him and attempting to entice a second female minor to have sex with him in early 2010. The victims were 16 and 13 years old, respectively, at the time of the offenses. Brooks was 28 years old and a Deputy Sheriff in Grainger County, Tenn., at the time of the offenses.

Sentencing has been set for November 30, 2011, at 9:30 a.m., in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Brooks was detained in federal custody pending sentencing. If the Court accepts the plea agreement, Brooks will be sentenced to serve a term of 125 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release of 25 years.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian said, “It is disturbing enough that anyone would commit a crime of this nature, but especially a law enforcement officer, who is sworn to uphold the law, not violate it. We will always protect the children of our country from sexual predators by aggressively investigating and prosecuting these cases.”

This prosecution indictment was the result of an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States.

This case was part of the Department's Project Safe Childhood (PSC) program. PSC is a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat child exploitation. Initiated in May 2006, PSC combines law enforcement efforts, community action, and public awareness. The goal of PSC is to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.