A Jackson man, formerly from Perryville, is headed to prison after his probation was revoked on prior convictions for child molestation and possession of child pornography.
Terry A. Carroll, 76, was ordered to serve consecutive prison terms after Judge Frank Miller revoked his probation during an October hearing in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court. Carroll was sentenced to 10 years for child molestation and four years for possession of child pornography, with the sentences to run consecutively — meaning he must complete one before beginning the other. He was taken into custody and transferred to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Carroll’s conviction stems from a December 2023 case in which now-retired Judge Benjamin Lewis sentenced him to 10 years on the molestation charge and four years on the child-pornography charge after he pleaded guilty. Both terms were suspended in favor of five years of supervised probation on each count. Carroll was required to register as a Tier 3 sex offender.
Court records show that Carroll violated his probation in June 2024. Judge Lewis, then still serving on the bench, ordered him to continue probation under the same terms without additional penalties. A second violation was filed in July 2025, and the case was assigned to Judge Miller.
Carroll had relocated from Perryville to a subdivision in Jackson following his earlier plea agreement. The case originated in Perry County but was transferred to Cape Girardeau County on a change of venue.
According to a probable-cause statement filed by the Perryville Police Department, Carroll was accused of knowingly having sexual contact with a juvenile, installing cameras in the child’s bedroom, linking the video feed to his phone, and producing video of the victim.
Investigators said Carroll’s wife discovered the situation after noticing he had fallen asleep holding his phone and saw the live camera feed on his screen.
When interviewed on Aug. 6, 2021, Carroll denied the allegations, saying, “That didn’t happen and I want a lawyer, ’cause that didn’t happen.” Police reported that as he was being escorted back to his cell, Carroll made a spontaneous statement: “We all make mistakes, and I made a mistake.”
Following the charges, Perry County Prosecutor Caitlin Pistorio and Associate Circuit Judge Craig Brewer recused themselves from the case, which was reassigned to special prosecutor Angel Woodruff.
Carroll was originally charged Aug. 8, 2021, with statutory sodomy/attempted deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old, sexual exploitation of a minor, child molestation in the third degree and possession of child pornography.
After entering a plea of not guilty before Judge Frank Miller in Perry County Circuit Court, he was released on a $50,000 cash-only bond before the change of venue.
