Edwards sentenced in witness intimidation case over explicit pictures
BRANCH COUNTY — William Edwards III of the Coldwater will serve 11 months in the Branch County Jail after pleading no contest to capturing a video of an unclothed person and intimidating a witness.
Circuit Judge Bill O’Grady ordered the 42-year-old Coldwater resident to register as a sex offender and complete five years of probation in the plea-bargained case during the Monday sentencing.
A teenage girl discovered a camera in her shower and filed charges with Coldwater Police.
According to the investigation, Edwards took the girl’s phone and found sexually explicit videos and pictures on her phone of which he took screenshots.
Investigators said Edwards texted the boyfriend, threatening to make the pictures public if the victim did not drop charges.
Edwards erased the screenshots, but Coldwater Police recovered them from his phone.
Edwards agreed to a no contest plea to the four-year felony of intimidating a witness and a two-year charge of capturing video of an unclothed person if he did not go to prison.
Prosecutor Zack Stempien agreed to dismiss charges of possession of child sexually abusive activity and aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material for allegedly copying the victim’s phone pictures.
Stempien wanted to ensure a conviction and registration as a sex offender.
The victim was reluctant to go to trial, where the explicit materials would have been entered into evidence.
Stempien said the conduct in videotaping the girl was reprehensible. “More concerning was the behavior after the fact trying to get out of trouble by seizing a phone and attempting to use it to intimidate and coerce the victim to stop the prosecution," he said.
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Edwards asked for no jail because the University of Michigan was treating him for medical conditions, and so he could keep his job.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Edwards sentenced in witness intimidation case over explicit pictures
