Tupelo man accused of enticing children for sex
TUPELO – A west Tupelo man is being held without bond after being accused of trying to have sex with children.
Zachary T. Adams, 27, of Holly Hill Drive, Tupelo, was arrested Monday by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and charged with four counts of the enticement of a child for sexual purposes and two counts of touching of a child for lustful purposes (molestation). During his initial appearance in Lee County Justice Court, a judge ordered him held without bond.
Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said his office was made aware May 10 of an adult male having inappropriate communication with a young child. The ensuing investigation uncovered text messages of a sexual nature from Adams to a child, Johnson said.
“Those messages have led us to at least two other children, so far, with whom Adams has allegedly had inappropriate contact, including electronic communication and physical contact,” Johnson said. “All three children are under the age of 13.”
Lee County investigators are currently working with other jurisdictions who are also investigating Adams on similar allegations against other children. Johnson said more charges are anticipated.
This is not Adams’ first time to face child sexual abuse allegations. In 2017, then-20-year-old Adams was working at a North Gloster Street daycare when he pleaded guilty child neglect. He signed a criminal information admitting he had neglected to watch a 7-year-old boy who was fondled. Court documents from a separate civil lawsuit against Adams and the daycare say it was Adams himself who fondled the boy’s genitalia.
In May 2017, he was given a five-year suspended sentence with five years of probation. Adams only served a little more than two years of the post-release supervision. The Mississippi Department of Corrections asked the court to end the supervision in June 2019.
Because Adams pleaded guilty to child neglect and not molestation, he was not required to register as a sex offender.
