Timothy Allen Arthur, 66, was sentenced today, May 8, to 210 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempting coercion and enticement of a minor. Arthur entered his guilty plea on Sept. 17, 2024.

According to court documents, during the summer months of 2023, Bay Minette Police Department was called to a school to address an issue about a nude photo of a student that was being distributed. As part of the investigation, BMPD made contact with Arthur.

Arthur’s behavior during his interview with BMPD was suspicious, according to court documents. Afterward, teachers began looking at the social media accounts of a 12-year-old, and they discovered Arthur was making inappropriate comments on her posts. A teacher took screenshots and provided them to law enforcement.

The 12-year-old was interviewed and indicated Arthur had been sending her inappropriate text messages for about a year, beginning when she was 11 years old. BMPD took the child’s phone into evidence. Upon searching it, they found text messages with Arthur in which solicited the child to perform sex acts and produce naked images of herself. Arthur used sexually explicit language to describe the acts he wanted to engage in.

The girl did not encourage or respond positively to these comments. On at least one occasion, the child reminded Arthur that she was 12. After one of his comments about engaging in sexual activity, the child wrote, “ur old. That’s rape, right?” Arthur wrote, “I think we should get together,” and the girl responded, in part, “I’m only 12 I can’t get together with u.” The child also repeatedly told Arthur to stop messaging her.

At sentencing, the judge imposed the 210-month sentence of incarceration and a 10-year term of supervised release. During his term of imprisonment, Arthur will be subject to sex offender treatment, substance abuse testing and treatment and mental health treatment. He will be required to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors. He was ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution to the victims of his offenses and $5,100 in special assessments.

The Department of Homeland Security Investigations and Bay Minette Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

For more information about Internet safety education, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.