Acts20.com

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Cleveland pastor has plead guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators uncovered child sexual abuse material on his laptop.

In the summer of 2023, the Cleveland Police Department (CLPD) received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip was in regards to a user in Cleveland, who had uploaded two images of child sexual abuse material to BingImage, and AI-assisted tool used to upload an image, and locate similar images to the one uploaded.

BingImage blocked the uploaded photos, and reported them to NCMEC.

Authorities traced the uploads to a residence in Cleveland, Tennessee, with the residence belonging to Richard Lee Sentell and his wife.

At the time, Sentell was the senior pastor at Cornerstone Church of God.

According to the Tenth Judicial District Attorney General, authorities obtained a search warrant for the residence.

Detectives with the CLPD found a laptop wedged between a mattress and a box spring.

The laptop held 124 unique images of child sexual abuse material.

Data found on the laptop also revealed that Sentell had searched for and sought out child sexual abuse material for several months.

Authorities later confirmed that the laptop did belong to Sentell.
On February 21, 2025, Sentell entered a guilty plea to the indicted charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Sentell received an eight year sentence, and is not eligible for parole.