MS Coast media minister pleads guilty in child porn case. He had 9,900 images.
A retired software developer and former media minister at an Ocean Springs church pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of possessing child pornography.
Cameron “Cam” Cotrill, 66, of Vancleave, entered the plea Monday in federal court in Gulfport. In exchange for the plea, federal prosecutors dismissed a second charge of distribution of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden deferred sentencing in the case.
After Cotrill’s initial arrest, Cotrill and his family vowed he was innocent of the crime. His family also set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money for Cotrill’s legal defense. The account was shut down after a Sun Herald report on the case.
According to authorities, Cotrill, the former media minister at Center Pointe Church, had 9,900 images of children engaged in sex acts on his computer. Prosecutors said he had three hard drives for his laptop and used his computer expertise to restrict his wife’s Internet access.
Cotrill’s wife and daughter pleaded early on for prayers and help with funds so Cotrill could fight the charges.
After his initial arrest, friends, family and clergy wrote character letters to the judge to ask that Cotrill be released on bond pending trial.
The judge denied his request for bond, citing the substantial evidence in the case, the lengthy prison sentence Cotrill faced if convicted, safety concerns for the community, his “significant personal wealth,” and family ties outside the United States.
In the character letters sent to a judge, people described Cotrill as a man committed to his family, faith, and community and praised him for his “knowledge of God’s word.”
Peter Meakins, the senior adult pastor at Center Point, described Cotrill as a volunteer and member of the church’s “Media Ministry” who “consistently demonstrated conscientiousness to his ministry responsibilities here.”
“His appearance has always been beyond reproach, and he has a very optimistic attitude about life,” the minister said. “In his Christian walk, I believe you would find him solid in his beliefs. He is a man of integrity and good leadership skills, which are virtues we need today.”
In a pitch for donations for Cotrill’s now-deactivated GoFundMe account, his daughter said her father “had been wrongfully arrested on two counts of cybercrimes.”
She described him as a “loving husband ... a great father and amazing grandfather ... and the greatest friend you could ever have.”
His daughter said the crimes he was accused of occurred after he retired as a computer software developer and started working as an independent contractor.
“It was in the process of research that his system was targeted by malware and then flagged by government agencies,” she said. “And he is absolutely undeniably innocent of the charges levied against him.”
Cotrill admitted Monday that he did have child pornography on his computer hard drives.
He is facing a sentence of up to 20 years in prison plus fines.
Cotrill has been jailed in Pearl River County since his arrest.
MS Coast ‘media minister’ faces child porn charges. He had 9,900 images, police say.
