An Acworth man pleaded guilty this week to 13 charges of sexual exploitation of children, netting himself a five-year prison sentence and a future as a convicted sex offender, authorities said.
Adam Jeffrey McElyea, 27, pleaded guilty to the felonies Tuesday in Bartow County Superior Court, Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Rosemary Greene told AJC.com. After his prison time, he will serve 12 years on probation.
McElyea was arrested in December after the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip that he had child pornography, Greene said. A search warrant for his Mountain Ridge home led to the discovery of 13 images showing children performing sexual acts.
He was taken into custody Dec. 23, which was his second time being arrested in Bartow County that month, records show.
Two weeks earlier, he was involved in a high-speed chase after he ran a stop sign, Greene said. He sped away from a deputy before losing control of his vehicle and crashing.
He was granted a $4,960 bond on those charges, but his bond grew to $40,000 after his arrest on sexual exploitation of children charges, Bartow County jail records show.
He didn’t bond out after the second arrest, remaining in jail until his sentencing this week. As a result, he will be credited with time served.
McElyea also pleaded guilty to several driving citations and a fleeing police charge in connection with the chase, Greene said. For those charges, he was sentenced to five years, which will be served concurrently with his other sentence.
This will not be his first time in a state prison, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records. He spent about 2½ years in prison for burglary and identity fraud in Cobb County in 2010.
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