Terry Landon Stidham in the News

 

Terry Landon Stidham first made the news just over three years ago:

From 10/3/18 Franklin County Times - 

The article goes on to say that Stidham posted 200K bond at the time of his arrest. Since he was a resident of Marion County, we may assume the bond was in cash or its equivalent. Read: Stidham's family has money.

Were there more details to the story? Yes. From a 10/4/18 Pen-N-Sword article - 

Terry Landon Stidham is a 19 year old graduate of Hamilton High School where he starred on the basketball court wearing jersey #4. At 6'3", Landon may not have been the tallest player on the team, but he caught the eye of a Welch College coach who boasted of recruiting him for the Free Will Baptist institution located in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Landon graduated in 2017, but it wasn't until June 2018 that the Welch coach tweeted the Hamilton youth would be joining his older brother at Welch. We may not know all that Landon accomplished during this gap year, but we do know that authorities in Russellville claim the scholar-athlete had a very interesting hobby.

Stidham's athletic skills also included tennis, and he is accused of participating in several felonious sex acts at the Russellville Tennis Complex. He is alleged to have met a 14 year old girl whom he took to the restrooms at the complex. There he encouraged the young teen to perform oral sex and to engage in intercourse while he videoed their illicit encounter.

Landon was apparently proud of his skill at photography, sending the video to several other underage girls. When Landon's victim became aware of the notoriety her liaison with Landon was receiving, she told her parents who reported the encounter to Russellville police.

Authorities obtained a warrant for Landon's mobile carrier, matching him to the number disseminating what is legally child pornography. When confronted by his actions, Landon refused to speak with investigators. He was arrested in late September and charged with Second Degree Rape, Second Degree Sodomy, and the Manufacture, Distribution, & Possession of Child Pornography.

Landon's family quickly posted 200K bond, and the former high school basketball standout remains free at this time. If convicted of the numerous sex charges, Terry Landon Stidham could face up to 20 years in prison and be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. There's no word if Welch College has kept open a position as forward for Stidham or if they now find Landon just a little too forward for their Freewill Baptist college.

So how long did it take to indict and try Stidham for charges lodged almost 18 months before COVID slowed down the system? More to the point, why is this blog reporting on Stidham's alleged sexual antics three years later? 

This very curious story will be continued...