Artesia man receives prison time for sexual exploitation of 14-year-old in Chaves County

An Artesia man convicted of child sexual exploitation in April was sentenced Friday to 32 years in prison by a Roswell judge, according to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.

Edward Bingham, 49, was arrested in May 2018 by Chaves County Sheriff’s deputies in a vacant lot near the Roswell Air Center after initiating sexual relations and communications with a then 14-year-old girl, read a news release from the office of Attorney General Hector Balderas.

A search of Bingham’s cell phone by detectives revealed he was in possession of multiple sexual images images and a video of a child. Detectives allege that he asked the victim for those images and saved them to his cell phone, per the press release.

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He was convicted on four counts of child sexual abuse during an April 22 trial before Fifth Judicial District Judge Thomas Lilley in Roswell, online court records stated.

The case was prosecuted by the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office.

“The sentence handed down today sends a message that criminals who exploit children will face severe consequences under New Mexico law. My office is committed to continuing to fight for justice for the children in our community,” said Fifth Judicial District Attorney Dianna Luce.

Balderas said Bingham’s sentence and conviction was a warning to child predators.

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“My office will continue to tirelessly investigate and prosecute these cases to ensure that such predators will not be able to continue to exploit and harm children,” he said in the press release.

In addition to the sentence of incarceration, Bingham will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, the press release noted.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Artesia man sentenced to 32 years for child sexual exploitation