FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. - William Sandridge, a Calhoun man, and his wife, Allyn Sandridge, a former middle school special education teacher, have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in the distribution of child sex abuse images, according to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
The case dates back to December 2017 when William Sandridge initiated a series of text messages detailing his sexual fantasies involving prepubescent children. Some of these messages contained explicit images of children. During this period, Allyn Sandridge was employed as a special education teacher at a charter school in Canton.
Allyn Sandridge, under the direction of her husband, periodically deleted these incriminating text messages and utilized an encrypted messaging application to avoid detection and conceal William Sandridge's heinous crimes.
The investigation took a significant turn on Dec. 29, 2022, when federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Sandridges' residence based on a tip received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. During the search, investigators unearthed multiple cell phones and a desktop computer loaded with graphic images of child sex abuse. Allyn Sandridge cooperated with law enforcement immediately and revealed the material William Sandridge had sent to her phone.
Federal prosecutors say some of those messages contained images of children in engaged in sexually explicit conduct, while others expressed sexual fantasies involving prepubescent children.
On Sept. 6, U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II, delivered the sentencing for both defendants:
William Sandridge, 42, of Calhoun received a seven-year and three-month prison sentence, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the distribution of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct on June 6.
Allyn Michelle Sandridge, 42, of Calhoun was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, also followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Her guilty pleas included charges of possession of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and misprision of a felony on May 25.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Calhoun Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg handled the prosecution of the case.
Allyn Sandridge worked for the Cherokee Charter Academy.
This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in February.