Deputies: Day care, mentoring program a front for Sanford child porn operation

A pseudo daycare and mentoring program operating out of the Sanford home of a convicted sex offender was actually a front for a child porn production operation, Harnett County Sheriff's Office detectives said.

Posted 11:32 p.m. Jun 23, 2014 — Updated 8:31 p.m. Nov 21, 2014

Editor's note: Charges against Tommy Keith Wall were dismissed and records of his arrest were expunged Oct. 30, 2014, after further investigation revealed the wrong person was charged.

SANFORD – A pseudo day care and mentoring program operating out of the Sanford home of a convicted sex offender was actually a front for a child porn production operation, Harnett County Sheriff’s Office detectives said.

Four people have been arrested in the case. Investigators are searching for Tommy Wall, a fifth person who may be in the Raleigh or Fayetteville areas.

Investigators used still photos from a video of Wall to seek help from the public in finding him. The images are from a video of Wall having sex with an adult female, and investigators say there is another video of him committing a hands-on sexual act with a child.

Anyone with information about Wall's whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Brad Byrd with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office at (910) 893-0150.

Investigators say Bailey Joe Mills, 33, who was convicted three times on charges related to sexual contact with children, ran the operation out of his former Nicole Drive home. They believe Mills ran the day care and mentoring program to attract young girls to his residence and to create a relationship with their parents. Mills then offered the girls money to have sex with men he found through different social media sites, authorities said.

Byrd described the evidence as "very disturbing."

"As I go through all the evidence, I see everything that's happened to these children," he said. "It's heartbreaking."

Mills has had multiple arrests and convictions over the years:

In 1997 he was convicted of taking indecent liberties with a child.
He was convicted in 2000 for indecent liberties with a child, which required him to register as a sex offender, receive psychological treatment and not be around children under 13. His name was expired from the registry in 2006.
Mills was arrested in January for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The operation, which involves about 10 male and female victims ranging from ages 1 to 14, dates back to 2013, but it wasn’t discovered until Mills’ arrest in January. Investigators said they realized they had a much bigger case after going through Mills’ computer and cell phones.

Mills, formerly of 184 Nicole Drive in Sanford, remained in the Harnett County jail Monday on a $500,000 bond. He is scheduled to make a first court appearance on July 28.

Three others have been arrested in the operation:

Elizabeth Holland Mills, 34, formerly of 184 Nicole Drive in Sanford, is charged with second degree sex exploitation of a minor and indecent liberties with a child. She is Bailey Joe Mills’ wife. The couple has two children together, both under 18. Investigators have not said whether the children were victims of their parents’ alleged illegal activities. She remained in the Harnett County jail Monday on a $500,000 bond.
Sgt. 1st Class Jordan Everett Busse, 29, is charged with felony conspiracy and computer solicitation of a child. Busse is a Fort Bragg solider assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group. Fort Bragg officials said they are cooperating with the investigation. Bailey Joe Mills created a chat-room application allowing Busse to talk to a 12-year-old girl, according to the Fayetteville Observer. Busse posted a $75,000 bond on June 12.
Rashawn Rodriguez Drake Jackson, 20, of 151 Rental Lane in Sanford, is charged with first-degree sex offense with a child and felony conspiracy. He remained in the Harnett County jail Monday on a $150,000 bond and is scheduled to make a court appearance on July 8.

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