HONOLULU — A former soldier who was stationed at Schofield Barracks has pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child.
Christopher Ernest Fox entered his plea Tuesday to the charge involving a 13-year-old British girl he met on social media.
Fox was arrested last year. He originally pleaded not guilty to five charges, but changed his plea as part of a deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop charges of obscene material to a minor, cyberstalking and distribution and possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors said Fox began messaging the girl on Instagram and Snapchat in 2016. Fox persuaded the girl to send him naked photos by threatening to reveal her secrets if she didn’t comply, prosecutors said.
The victim was 12 years old at the time and lived in England while Fox was a military police officer assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion stationed at Schofield Barracks.
When the girl tried to cut off communication with Fox, she claimed he created a new Instagram account and shared her naked pictures with some of her classmates, which led to bullying at school, according to court documents.
The girl eventually notified Wiltshire Police in England. Fox deployed to Guam and, when he returned to Hawaii, U.S. Homeland Security investigators met with him and seized some of his items using search warrants.
Officials said Fox was discharged from the U.S. Army last December.
Fox faces between 15 to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release between five years to life. He must also register as a sex offender.
Fox is scheduled to be sentenced on July 30.