A Tennessee man has been ordered to spend 30 years in prison for sexually abusing a 14-year-old from Mississippi.
Terry Dewayne Macon, 29, was handed the sentence by Chief U.S. District Judge Debra Brown on Monday. He was charged with transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sex and was found guilty by a federal jury back in December.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Macon met an unidentified Mississippi teen online in July of 2024. Over the next month, Macon drove from Tennessee to Mississippi on three occasions where he picked up the minor and returned with her to his home state.
Macon later admitted to authorities that he had engaged in sexual acts with the minor. At the time of the transport and sex acts, Macon was 27 years old.
Members of Mississippi’s FBI Child Abduction Response Team, including a resident agent and task force officers, worked with Corinth Police Department and other local investigative agencies from Tennessee, located the victim with Macon at a residence in Grand Junction, Tenn., and were able to safely return her home.
“Those who would abuse children are among the most abhorrent of criminals,” U.S. Attorney Scott Leary said. “To the degree that such sociopaths can receive a message, know that if you live in Mississippi our law enforcement officers will work tirelessly to hunt you down and put you in jail, which is exactly what happened in this case. Law enforcement did an amazing job in saving this child. We have true heroes working for the people of Mississippi.”
Macon’s jail stint will be followed by five years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Addison and Parker King as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
