COTTONWOOD, AZ — A Cottonwood elementary school teacher has pleaded guilty to multiple sex crimes, including child molestation, the Yavapai County Attorney's Office announced.
Chester Clay Cox, 31, of Cottonwood, pleaded guilty on Oct. 26, to charges including sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 15, child molestation, multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 15, and multiple counts of surreptitious photographing or videotaping.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Cox will be sentenced to 50 years in prison, which must be served day for day without any possibility of release for good behavior.
If Cox is still alive when the prison sentence is completed, he will be required to register as a sex offender and be placed on lifetime sex offender probation.
"Mr. Cox's crimes are shocking and despicable. All too frequently, we hear about teachers and other trusted members of society harming children for their selfish sexual desires. Arizona law does not currently allow for the death penalty in such cases, and it is time for that to change. That change will only happen if my fellow Arizonans call and write their legislators to ask that they change Arizona's law to allow for the death penalty for child molesters and others who sexually harm children. Until that happens, I want to be clear that anyone who sexually harms a child in Yavapai County will receive a lengthy prison sentence," Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said.
The investigation began in June 2026, when a parent called YCSO to report that Cox, had molested her child numerous times between 2017 and 2020. Officials say although Cox was a teacher at a local elementary school, the victim was not one of his students.
During the investigation, evidence corroborating the molestation claims was obtained, and YCSO also received a tip from a former student that Cox may have used a hidden camera at the school to record students while they changed clothes for athletic events.
YCSO quickly discovered multiple images and videos on Cox's cell phone of students getting dressed and undressed, as well as using the restroom. Several recording devices, including a digital camera with tape and an antenna, were located during a search of Cox's car.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 23, 2026, at 4 p.m.
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