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Press Release

Former Johnson County Teacher Sentenced to 14 Years for Sexually Exploiting a Minor

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A former high school teacher in Johnson County, Ky., who previously admitted to sexually exploiting a minor student, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced 26 year-old Robert Cantrell, of Versailles, Ky., for illegally enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.  Judge Reeves further ordered Cantrell to serve 15 years of supervised release, following his sentence.  Under federal law, Cantrell must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.

Earlier this year, Cantrell admitted that, in 2014, he had enticed a minor student to text him sexually explicit images of the student engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Additionally, Cantrell admitted that he had induced the minor student to engage in sex acts with him.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Howard S. Marshall, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General; and Dwayne Price, Johnson County Sheriff, jointly made the announcement.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Unit; and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

Updated November 25, 2015

Topic
Project Safe Childhood