On May 10, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an adult male having inappropriate communication, of a sexual nature, with a young child.
Deputies immediately opened an investigation and discovered text messages to a child from 27-year-old, Zachary Adams, of Tupelo.
Those messages have led us to at least two other children so far with whom Adams has allegedly had inappropriate contact, including electronic communication and physical contact.
All three children are under the age of 13.
The Sheriff’s Department said they are working with other jurisdictions in which Zachary Adams is being currently investigated for similar allegations against children and we anticipate more charges to come.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Adams had a previous conviction of child neglect relating to a child in his care, according to the court documents. Adams pleaded guilty to Child Neglect and the sentence for that conviction was suspended. Due to that specific conviction, he was not required to register as a sexual offender.
On May 20, 2024, Zachary Adams was taken into custody and charged with 4 counts of enticement of a child for sexual purposes and two counts of touching of a child for lustful purposes.
Adams was given an initial appearance before a Lee County Justice Court Judge and he is being held without bond.
