McKenzie Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

JACKSON, Tenn. (April 2, 2026) – Chad D. Isbell, 59, of McKenzie, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.  D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

The investigation in this case revealed that Isbell used a cell phone to record himself sexually assaulting a seven-year-old child.  The video was subsequently sent to the child’s mother via a social media application, and she immediately reported it to the police.  After being confronted with the video, Isbell admitted to law enforcement officers that he made the video and stored it on his cell phone.  This incident occurred in November 2019.

Following the defendant’s guilty plea to possession of child pornography, Senior United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Isbell to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Isbell also has a related pending state indictment in the Circuit Court of Carroll County, TN, where he has been charged with the Class B felony offense of Aggravated Sexual Battery for engaging in unlawful sexual contact with a victim under 13 years of age.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Sexual predators who victimize children cannot hide from ultimate detection and aggressive prosecution by this office. Production and possession of child pornography victimizes, harms, and exploits vulnerable children in a horrific way, and must be met with significant consequences.”

This case was investigated by members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the McKenzie Police Department, and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.  

Assistant United States Attorney Josh Morrow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.