Chattanooga woman arrested for violation of sex offender registry

Candy Besecker
Candy Besecker
photo Candy Besecker

A Chattanooga woman, who in 2003 admitted she was involved in producing child pornography in San Diego, was arrested Friday for violating Tennessee's sex offender registry law.

Hamilton County sheriff's deputies said Candy Besecker, 53, moved to Florida without alerting local authorities as required by state law. Deputies discovered she was missing from her Hilton Drive home on Oct. 31, and also learned Besecker left a Florida forwarding address at the local post office.

She was arrested for absconding from the state without notifying authorities when she showed up at the Hamilton County sex offender registry office on Friday, according to an affidavit. The document does not say why she arrived at the office.

In 2003, Besecker worked with her brother-in-law, U.S. Navy sailor Robert Quackenbush, and sailor Wayne Craig to manufacture and email underage porn to a Navy aircraft carrier in San Diego, according to newspaper reports.

The men had sex with underage teenage girls and convinced the girls to send naked photos to them while they were deployed, according to a 2004 story in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Besecker admitted to authorities that she also took photos of the teenage girls.

Quackenbush was 36 at the time and Craig was 22. Besecker was 39.

Quackenbush pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography, molestation and statutory rape. He was sentenced to just over three years in prison. Craig pleaded guilty to child molestation and child pornography charges and was sentenced to 18 months, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Besecker pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting in the molestation and received less than a year in prison as part of her plea deal, according to a 2003 story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

She was released and served three years on probation.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.

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