Police: Convicted Sex Offender Ran Day Care Center As Front For Kiddie Porn Ring

A convicted sex offender is accused of operating a day care center as a front for a child pornography ring. Bailey Joe Mills was charged and convicted of indecent liberties with a child in 1997 and 2000. Although he was required to register as a sex offender, the requirement expired in 2006.

Mills is now facing new charges, including rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a child. Authorities said the defendant ran a day care out of his North Carolina home, which he used as a front for a child pornography ring.

Police were alerted to the situation when Mills contacted a 12-year-old girl via Facebook early this year. The girl’s parents were concerned, as Mills offered to pay their daughter for sex. During a police interview, the girl confessed to having sex with the suspect. She also revealed that he showed her at least one film, which featured juvenile females having sexual relations with adult men.

Although Mills was initially arrested and charged in January, the investigation continued for six months.

As reported by Charlotte Observer, the defendant and his wife ran an unlicensed day care facility out of their home. Investigators later learned that the day care was a front for a child porn ring.

Authorities eventually identified a total of 10 victims between the ages of 12 months and 14 years old. It is unknown whether any other children were victims of the child porn ring.

In addition to Mills and his wife, Elizabeth, three others were charged with involvement in the child porn ring. Jordan Everett Busse, age 29, Tommy Wall, age 50, and Rashawn Rodriguez Drake Jackson, age 20, were also arrested and charged with sex crimes involving children.

Although five people were arrested, the case is still under investigation by local, state, and federal law enforcement.

A representative with North Carolina’s Division of Child Development and Early Education confirmed the Mills’ day care was not licensed by the state. However, as reported by WNCN News, Bailey Joe Mills was well-respected within the community as a child care provider and a mentor.

With the introduction of convicted sex offender registries, parents and neighbors are often given a false sense of security. Unfortunately, the system is not without flaws. In the case of Bailey Joe Mills, his name was included on the list for a total of six years. As he was no longer included on the registry, parents had few resources to research his background.

Because his name was not on the registry, and he and his wife were not registered as child care providers, Bailey Joe Mills had an opportunity to use his day care facility as a front for a child pron ring.

[Image via Sanford Herald, WRAL, and Shutterstock]