Gautier man to serve 45 years for child exploitation

JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)- A Gautier man will serve 45 years for child exploitation.

Twenty-six-year-old David Pace was sentenced for two counts of exploitation of a child and one count of felony child endangerment.

According to Assistant District Attorney George Huffman, a Texas investigator on an Internet Crimes against Children’s task force befriended Pace in a chatroom in May 2023.

Pace soon began sharing images online of very young children being sexually abused. One of the images depicted an eight-year-old girl in Jackson County being sexually abused by another individual.

Upon learning that Pace lived in Gautier, the Gautier Police Department was contacted and an investigation began.

During that investigation, Pace’s phones were searched and multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material was discovered.

Pace was sentenced to a total of 80 years with 45 to serve in the custody of Mississippi Department of Corrections and the remainder on post-release supervision.

Due to the nature of his crimes, the 45-year sentence will be served day for day without the hope of early release or parole. Pace faces associated charges and prosecution in Texas as well.