On August 5, 2015, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Knoxville Police Department Officer Jacob Wilson conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for driving the wrong direction in a one-way alley near University Avenue. The driver, Zachary Howell, had a 9-year-old child with him at the time of the traffic stop. Howell is prohibited from being with children. The juvenile was safely returned to the mother, who was unaware that Howell was a convicted sex offender.
During the traffic stop, Officer Wilson found what he believed to be images of child pornography on Mr. Howell’s cellular telephone. Officer Wilson notified the Knoxville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, who successfully obtained a state search warrant for Howell’s phone. The search of the cell phone revealed approximately fifty (50) images of child pornography. The ICAC Task Force then presented the evidence to Knox County Assistant District Attorney General Ashley McDermott for prosecution.
This morning, November 23, 2015, Zachary Howell plead guilty to the following charges in Knox County Division I Court:
(1) One count – Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (50 images of child pornography)- Class C Felony
(4) Four counts- Sex Offender Registry Violations – Class E Felonies
(3) Three counts- Community Supervision Violations- Class E Felonies
Howell was sentenced to six (6) years in prison of which 30% must be served, which is the maximum sentence that can be levied for the charges. Once Mr. Howell is released from prison he will remain on the Sex Offender Registry and on lifetime supervision.