A 71-year-old Somers Point man pleaded guilty in an Atlantic County courtroom to a second-degree charge of possessing child sexual exploitation materials, after investigators say a tablet seized from his home held at least 1,000 images depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child. William Barringer now faces a recommended three-year New Jersey state prison term and mandatory registration as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.
The case traces back to October 2025, when members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, along with local police, executed a search warrant at Barringer’s Somers Point home, according to Cat Country 107.3. Officers seized a tablet belonging to Barringer during that search, and prosecutors say the device contained at least 1,000 images depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child.
Guilty Plea and Recommended Sentence
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said Barringer pleaded guilty to a second-degree charge of possession of child sexual exploitation materials, per the outlet’s reporting. It is worth noting that the same report at one point refers to the charge using the phrase “child sexual exploration materials,” a discrepancy from the more commonly used statutory term “exploitation,” which appears elsewhere in the same account.
Prosecutors have recommended a three-year term in New Jersey state prison as part of the plea. Sentencing has been scheduled for December 15, 2026, and as a condition of his plea, Barringer must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.
What New Jersey Law Says About the Charge
Under New Jersey statute, a child is defined as any person under 18 years of age, according to the New Jersey Legislature. The law's definition of an item depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child covers a photograph, film, video, electronic or digital recording, or an image stored or maintained in a computer program or file.
The statute also defines possession broadly. It includes receiving, viewing, or having such material under one's control through any means, including the internet, per the same legislative text. New Jersey law further provides that a person whose offense involved 25 or more such items must be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment.
Whether the recommended three-year sentence will ultimately be imposed remains to be seen when Barringer is sentenced in Atlantic County in December.
