JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 34-year-old Savannah man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for sending notices over the Internet offering to produce and receive child pornography.
Stephen Woods was also ordered to serve a life term of supervision and to register as a sex offender following his release from prison. Woods has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 2 in St. Augustine.
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Woods pleaded guilty to this charge on March 14.
According to court documents, during October and November, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement officers conducted undercover Internet operations targeting individuals seeking to have sex with minor children. On Oct. 12, Woods responded to an Internet bulletin board posting, indicating that Woods could teach a 14-year-old "child" about sex. During the ensuing email conversation, Woods confirmed that the "child" was 14 years old.
During the next two weeks, Woods and the undercover detective, who used the personae of a 14-year-old girl engaged in online conversations by instant messaging and email. During these conversations, Woods indicated his desire to have sex with the "child." On Oct. 29, Woods and the "child" engaged in an online conversation and discussed a location for their meeting, during which Woods offered to produce videos of the "child" engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
That same day, Woods asked if he could "come see (the child)" that weekend.
On Oct. 31, Woods and the undercover detective arranged to meet in St. Augustine at a motel at a later date. On the evening of Nov. 2, Woods arrived at the motel in his vehicle. Woods approached the undercover detective, whom he believed was the "child's" relative, and subsequently asked the detective to have the "child" come outside. At that point, Woods was arrested.