A former kindergarten assistant from north Mississippi has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after admitting to transporting child sexual abuse material through social media applications. Senior U.S. District Judge Michael P. Willis sentenced Wilkes to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. At the time of his arrest in April 2025, Wilkes was listed as an assistant with the kindergarten program at Batesville Elementary School. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which targets the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation offenses.