Obion Co. man sentenced to 10 years for solicitation of minor

JACKSON, Tenn. — An Obion County man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to solicitation of a minor.

Michael Beamish, 27, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for solicitation and enticement of a minor for sexual activity, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence Thursday.

According to information presented in court, from Jan. 30, 2017, through Feb. 6, 2017, Beamish used a cell phone and social media to coerce a 15-year-old to engage in sexual activity, the release says.

On Feb. 4, 2017, the girl’s mother discovered the text messages and contacted law enforcement. The release says law enforcement began an investigation with the aid of the girl’s mother to communicate with Beamish.

The defendant arranged to meet at a local park, believing he would meet the girl for sexual activity, and was arrested in Weakley County, according to the release.

On Aug. 27, 2018, Beamish pleaded guilty to using a facility and means of interstate commerce, a cell phone and the internet, to knowingly persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor female to engage in criminal sexual activity, the release says.

On Dec. 10, U.S. District Court Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Beamish to 120 months in federal prison followed by seven years of supervised release.

“With the proliferation of cell phones and social media, criminals are using more deceptive and disturbing ways to commit crimes against vulnerable victims, including the solicitation and enticement of children for sex,” U.S. Attorney Dunavant said in the release. “This office will always aggressively prosecute and seek significant and mandatory sentences for such predatory behavior in order to protect children and hold offenders accountable.”

The case was investigated by the Dresden Police Department, Martin Police Department and the FBI.