William Dulworth, the man who pleaded guilty to various sex crimes in August, was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday.
According to a news release from Commonwealth’s Attorney Neil Kerr, the 37-year-old Dulworth pled guilty to prohibited use of electronic communications system to induce a minor to engage in sexual activities, possession of a matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, and use of a minor in a sexual performance, under 16 years of age. Dulworth would pose a middle-school aged boy on social media and then communicate with numerous minors before requesting nude photos or videos with sexual activity.
In a particular case, once he received some nude photos, he demanded additional photos and videos and threatened to publicly release what he had already obtained if his continued demands were not met. The female victim’s mother had discovered the messages while checking the child’s phone, who immediately contacted law enforcement. After executing a series of search warrants upon Instagram, email accounts, and internet providers, KSP was able to identify the precise location from which the individual was accessing the internet during certain interactions and from there arrest Dulworth.
Dulworth admitted during interviews he created the fake profile of what appeared to be a boy in middle school with a picture he found on the internet. His attorney requested probation, but that was denied by Circuit Judge Joe Hendricks and Dulworth was sentenced to serve 25 years. He is also required to register as a lifetime sex offender.
Kerr says, “This was an online predator, posing as a boy in middle school to prey upon children using common social media apps. These platforms have created an entire arena of vulnerabilities and opportunities for predators like Dulworth. The number of children that can be reached online in today’s world is essentially limitless. If that is the case, then there is no overreaction and no
amount of vigilance that is too much as parents, teachers, law enforcement, and anyone else in a
position to care for children.”