Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Timothy Allen Arthur, a 66-year-old man from Bay Minette, has been sentenced to 210 months in prison following his guilty plea to the charge of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. The sentencing took place on May 8, 2025, after Arthur entered his guilty plea on September 17, 2024.
Court documents reveal that during the summer of 2023, the Bay Minette Police Department was alerted to an incident involving a nude photo of a student being circulated at a school. During their investigation, police contacted Arthur whose behavior raised suspicions. Subsequently, teachers at the school examined the social media accounts of a 12-year-old child and found inappropriate comments made by Arthur. Screenshots were taken and handed over to law enforcement.
The child disclosed during an interview that Arthur had been sending her inappropriate text messages for approximately a year. Upon examining her phone, authorities discovered messages where Arthur solicited sexual acts and images from the child using explicit language. Despite her repeated reminders of her age and requests for him to stop messaging her, Arthur persisted with his advances.
Judge DuBose sentenced Arthur to serve his prison term followed by ten years of supervised release. During incarceration, he will undergo sex offender treatment as well as substance abuse and mental health treatment. Post-release conditions include registering as a sex offender and avoiding contact with minors. Additionally, Arthur is required to pay $35,000 in restitution along with $5,100 in special assessments.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations alongside the Bay Minette Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear led the prosecution for this case under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006.
For further details about Project Safe Childhood or internet safety education resources visit www.usdoj.gov/psc or https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources respectively.
