KC Reporter

A Bay Springs, Mississippi, man, Zachary Wes Buckley, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison without parole for luring a 16-year-old victim in Columbia, Mo., to meet him at a hotel for illicit sexual activity. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes.

Buckley admitted to the crime, stating that he traveled to Columbia and engaged in sexual activity with the child victim at a local hotel. The communication between Buckley and the victim started in an online chat room and escalated to GoogleChat, involving sexually explicit conversations, photos, and videocams. This eventually led to the two making plans to meet in person.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner prosecuted the case, while it was investigated by the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the Jasper County, Mississippi, Sheriff’s Department.

The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood and Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."