A Greenville man will spend the next three decades in prison with no chance at parole after admitting to repeatedly trafficking a child and possessing child sexual abuse material, according to Hunt County authorities. Kenneth Lee Willett, 41, entered guilty pleas Monday in the 196th District Court, where prosecutors said he used social media to arrange sexual encounters and transported the juvenile from a neighboring county into Greenville.
Under the plea deal, Willett received a 30-year sentence for continuous trafficking of persons and a concurrent 20-year sentence for possession or promotion of child pornography. Greenville police say the case began in July 2024, when multiple cyber tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children flagged suspected child sexual abuse material online. Officers arrested Willett in August 2024 after opening a criminal investigation. A forensic search of his seized cellphone showed he solicited men through social apps and coordinated transportation for the victim from Van Zandt County to Greenville, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Investigation and Evidence
Police say mobile-phone data and other digital records generated the leads that eventually supported the charges, with local detectives teaming up with child-exploitation investigators to follow the online trail. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline reviews reports of suspected online child sexual exploitation and forwards potential leads to law enforcement, a process the organization says helps agencies identify and prioritize cases, as outlined by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
State Law and Local Context
Under Texas law, continuous trafficking of persons is a first-degree felony that carries a sentencing range of 25 to 99 years or life in prison, a window that includes Willett’s 30-year term, according to Justia. Hunt County has seen other major trafficking cases in recent years: the Texas Attorney General’s office has highlighted a Greenville prosecution that ended with a 99-year sentence, and a Grayson County court issued a 50-year sentence in January 2026, reinforcing a pattern of aggressive regional enforcement of Texas trafficking laws, according to the Texas Attorney General and KXII.
Authorities say Willett has been housed at the Hunt County Detention Center since his indictment in November 2024 and will now begin serving his sentence as ordered by the 196th District Court, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. Officials urge anyone with information about suspected online exploitation to report it through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CyberTipline so investigators and victim services can follow up.
