SEQUATCHIE COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) squad and the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Department has resulted in the arrest of a Dunlap man, charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.

In July 2023, ICAC agents received a cybertip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that more than 300 files of what was believed to be child sexual abuse material had been uploaded into a cloud provider storage. During the course of the investigation, agents were able to identify the owner of that account as Michael Williford, from Sequatchie County. Agents determined that those images were uploaded between April and June 2023.

On October 9^th, agents and deputies arrested Michael Houston Williford (DOB 11/18/1985) and charged him with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. He was booked into the Sequatchie County Jail, on a $50,000 bond.

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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is an ICAC affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force. Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of online child exploitation should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov, or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

The TBI has information about online dangers, sextortion, and common-sense tips for the public on its website, at www.tn.gov/tbi. Parents and caregivers looking for resources aimed at helping children develop online safety skills should visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website, at www.netsmartz.org.