A former Cleveland, Tennessee, pastor has been sentenced to eight years in prison after entering a guilty plea to charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Richard Lee “Rick” Sentell, 64, was indicted in 2023 after an investigation revealed his laptop housed over 100 images of children being sexually assaulted.
Sentell was listed as senior pastor of Cornerstone Church of God in Cleveland on the church’s website at the time. He was arrested Christmas night in 2023.
A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children prompted the investigation, according to a release from Stephen M. Hatchett, the district attorney serving Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties. The tip said two images of child sexual abuse were uploaded to an AI image generator that allows users to upload images and find other images with similar content.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga Prep teacher charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping)