Barrow firefighter fired after arrest on child porn

Posted by
Susan Norman
in Public Safety Archives, Top Stories & Breaking News
Friday, December 7. 2012
Comments (22)
A nine-year veteran of Barrow County Emergency Services was fired Dec. 6 after his arrest on 29 child pornography charges. Agents from the Barrow County Task Force and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation went to the Lodgeview Drive home of Willie “Bill” Stancil Etheridge Jr. at about 7 a.m. Thursday and searched his home and computer.

At 1:44 p.m. he was booked into the Barrow County Detention Center, where he remained incarcerated Friday morning with no bond yet set. The arrest report states he was charged with 29 counts of sexual exploitation of children. A spokesman for the Barrow County Sheriff's Office said additional charges are anticipated pending the completion of the investigation. GBI agents provided computer forensic assistance, according to a spokesman for the state agency.

BCES Chief Dennis Merrifield confirmed Friday morning that a firefighter/emergency medical technician had been terminated Thursday following his arrest.

“As a result we terminated his employment effective yesterday,” Merrifield said in an e-mail in response to the newspaper's inquiry. “I will not comment further on anything relating to the termination as I make it a practice not to talk about personnel matters.”

Etheridge had worked for the county fire department since March 2003 and was assigned to Station 1 in Statham.
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#1 Odins Eye on 12/07/12 at 01:06 PM [Reply]
[[Sheriff Jud Smith said GBI agents who regularly monitor child-porn websites assisted in the investigation.]]
So who owns these websites? And why arent they also under investigation?
Or are these websites owned by the GBI or the Feds for the purpose of luring creeps into a trap.
Plenty of creeps in this world, I wonder how many are goverenment funded?

-Othinn
#2 Freedom Watch on 12/07/12 at 06:23 PM [Reply]
It's clear entrapment, just like they do with prostitution stings. The very definition of entrapment which is, of course, illegal.
#3 Anon on 12/07/12 at 10:02 PM [Reply]
I went to school and graduated with Bill...always knew he was a bit strange, but not this strange. Lock em up and toss the key. Society doesn't need child predators.

I was also in fire explorers with him.
#4 Anon on 12/07/12 at 11:05 PM [Reply]
Having pictures of nude little children on computer is not entrapment. He had the evidence on his computer, he visited the sites and they nabbed him.

Is having a 72" TV facing a front window of a house in a theft prone area entrapment when its a sting operation to capture thieves? Nope, you shouldn't steal...just as you shouldn't look at nude children.

For crying out loud, hes a firefighter taking care of little children and adults...sometimes in compromising way. Would you want this firefighter helping your little girl who was just jabbed in the hips with a sharp object which would require her being undressed? I think not.
#5 Michelle on 12/08/12 at 12:06 AM [Reply]
It states that the websites are monitored, not produced or run by the police/GBI. Meaning, there is a task force set up to monitor the IP addresses that are logging on to these particular websites. Your IP address for you computer is not private, because it's part of your internet provider's service. This is a federal felony, which is why it is monitored. If you're talking about prostitution, in most cases this is a misdemeanor. End of story, child porn is illegal, and anyone, ESPECIALLY a person in a public service position should be arrested.
#5.1 whatever on 12/10/12 at 05:19 PM [Reply]
But you did not adress who owns these sites? Why are they not being arrested as well?
#5.1.1 slb on 12/11/12 at 09:20 AM [Reply]
Porn Websites are usually set up Globally such as Russia,Thailand,China,S.America and so on.If it was a U.S.website you may have some hope.
#6 jim on 12/08/12 at 07:45 AM [Reply]
Makes me what to annex into winder, real problems with barrow county fd
#6.1 Anon on 12/08/12 at 10:55 AM [Reply]
These people are everywhere...your neighbors, your friends, your family...you cannot escape them by moving.
#6.2 Really ? on 12/10/12 at 07:37 AM [Reply]
You are going to condemn the whole County FD for what one stupid individual did ? Please...
#7 Reaper on 12/08/12 at 09:23 PM [Reply]
Entrapment, really? Always someone else's fault. If you think you could be entrapped to look at child porn then you have a problem. The websites are most often foreign and are outside the jurisdiction of US law. These cases are not about someone accidentally downloading child porn. There is a process for getting access to these sites. The offender usually starts with being an adult porn freak then enters chat rooms and is eventually "invited" to other sites. And no, no government agency is hosting these sites because they dont need to. Usually these images are so awful that they would turn your stomach and make a grown man cry. Hug your children tonight and let your DA know that this man (if guilty) needs to be sent to prison forever. This case needs to be turned over to the feds so he gets max time.
#8 J.B. Moore on 12/09/12 at 07:36 AM [Reply]
Please find the proper definition of entrapment to prevent yourself from looking ignorant. People always yell entrapment when criminals are stupid enough to make themselves getting caught look like a softball pitch to the police. Entrapment occurs when the violator has no way out of the situation except to violate the law. Hence not clicking to view the images of child porn would not have landed him in jail. If the scenario had been set by police to be look at kiddie porn or shoot that dude over there, that's your only choices, then you have entrapment. You must be trapped into only violating the law to resolve a situation. Now you know.
#9 Reality on 12/10/12 at 05:10 AM [Reply]
It's funny how everyone wants to put one class of criminals in jail for life, while they are ok with allowing burglars, car thiefs, murders, and a vast other criminals that commit violant crimes a slap on the wrist and a pass from jail. None of these other criminals are required to be registered and are allowed to live in areas where they can continue to commit their crimes.
#9.1 You sound like one of the cockroaches on 12/10/12 at 06:39 AM [Reply]
You sound a little bitter. Here is what it comes down to. Children are helpless. I DARE a burglar, car thief, what ever the scum may be, TRY to mess with me. I protect myself at ALL times. However, what is a CHILD going to do? We must protect those that cannot protect themselves. There is no rehab for these cockroaches and they should all be exterminated.
#9.1.1 Reality on 12/10/12 at 09:01 AM [Reply]
Actually, according to FBI statistics. People who commit the crimes of burglary, assualt, battery, grant theft auto, murder, and arson are more likely to repeat their offenses once released than someone who is incarcerated for a sex offense.
#10 :( not cool on 12/10/12 at 08:06 AM [Reply]
I'm stunned at some of the comments. Enticing a minor,people that means he didn't accidentally click on a website or get redirected to this site. He was made a conscious choice to become a predator.
He also has more then one count on all the charges. This was a choice and I completely agree that adult porn is a gateway to worse things. It also desensitizes people. Research has proven that it actually changed brain chemistry.
My sympathies to his wife and family living here in the community having to deal with the this. It has to be devastating and embarrassing my God comfort her and give her strength through all this.
#10.1 Play Boy on 12/10/12 at 12:29 PM [Reply]
"research has proven" is right up there with "the check is in the mail." What so-called "research" has proven, well, anything that you allege? Bible-thumpers blamed porn for turning Ted Bundy into a serial killer. They conveniently disregarded all the weird thing she did as a child. No, according to them, Hefner created a mass murderer.
#10.1.1 Lilia V Moedjio on 12/13/12 at 12:09 PM [Reply]
google it your self it's not some make believe notion. However, that's a mute point. It doesn't really matter if you believe porn adiction was or wasn't responsible all that matters is that in the end you are responsible for the choices you make.
Make the same choice more then once isn't an accident
#11 whatever on 12/10/12 at 05:14 PM [Reply]
Well once again another peice of trash falls into the trap. Ha, Ha, Ha..... But that being said was this the GBI's web site or the good sheriff. I bet they sit around and "monitor" it all day. The way I see it, it's just GBI and sheriff's office scum going after scum. How many times have these FBI, GBI,ect.... made an arrest and later we find out they coaxed or funded the "criminals". Hey cops your criminals as well. Hey playboy the bible belt has the highest number of porn site hits than any where in the country. And yes Odin it would be intresting to find out who owns these sites.
#11.1 Duh. on 12/11/12 at 10:12 PM [Reply]
It would also be interesting to know who taught you spelling and grammer. They need to be monitored. You make it to easy to make fun of you, Simple.
#11.1.1 whatever on 12/12/12 at 08:02 AM [Reply]
I guess you have no answers on who maintains the child porn site?
#11.1.2 Anon on 12/13/12 at 09:47 AM [Reply]
Grammer? Really? As in Kelsey Grammer, maybe? You might want to check yourself before making fun of other's shortcomings... Turns the joke on you, Duh!
#12 Odins Eye on 12/12/12 at 12:37 PM [Reply]
Well it seems to me if the government can prohibit me, as an American adult, from on-line gambling for real money.
Then they(government)should and could prohibit those who seek to exploit children from accessing these type of pedophile web sites.
In other words if they wanted to block access, they could.
My bet is they choose not to because of funding and it always makes for good headlines for law enforcement.
As with everything, follow the money and you will find the answers.
Beware and Be aware.

-Hropt
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