BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A former Pierce County police officer and Ware County high school teacher was sentenced Thursday to more than 10 years in federal prison for paying a 16-year-old boy for sex, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Tracy Wayne Crosby, 42, of Waycross, to 128 months in prison for one count of sex trafficking of a minor. In addition, Crosby will be required to register as a sex offender and, after completing his incarceration, will be on supervised release for 20 years.
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During hearings in the case, prosecutors presented evidence that, until he was arrested, Crosby was the criminal justice teacher at Ware County High School and a part-time police officer with Pierce County. Evidence showed Crosby used his cellphone to communicate with a 16-year-old boy online and agreed to meet with the boy to have sex in exchange for $30.
Camden County law enforcement responded and arrested Crosby while he was with the boy. Crosby admitted to federal agents that he had sex with the boy more than once and that he arranged online to have sex with the boy.
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“Crosby abused his positions of trust and betrayed his oath to protect our children,” U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine said in a statement. “Anyone who pays to have sex with children will be brought to justice and will face substantial time in federal prison."
“Sexual exploitation steals the innocence of children, and the criminals who engage in these acts often inflict lifelong trauma on their victims,” said Nick S. Annan, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta field office of Homeland Security Investigations. “This defendant will no longer be able to pose harm to children in Georgia, or anywhere else, for many years.”
Anyone who suspects instances of child sexual exploitation is encouraged to call 800-843-5678, which is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with HSI, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.