Man Convicted for Requesting Sex with a Child
DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Child Abuse Unit obtained convictions against a man who asked to be brought a fourteen-year-old for sex. Mark Allen Stenglein, 57, pled guilty to two counts of Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act and three counts of Solicitation of a Minor. Judge Hector Sanchez ordered Stenglein to serve ten years in prison without the possibility of parole. Stenglein will then spend the rest of his life on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry.
In a plea hearing, Assistant District Attorney Ashley McDermott explained to the court that on November 22, 2025, Knoxville Police Department Officers O’Grady and Angelini were on routine patrol in the 400 block of North Broadway when they were approached by a concerned citizen. The witness told officers that Stenglein offered her $100 if she could bring him a thirteen-to-sixteen-year-old female to have sex. The next day, under the direction of KPD Special Crimes Detective Luis Vazquez, the witness made a recorded phone call to Stenglein where he agreed to pay for sex with a fourteen-year-old girl. Posing as the witness, detectives texted Stenglein who directed the witness to bring the child to the bridge near the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Gay Street. When Stenglein arrived at that location, instead of meeting a fourteen-year-old child, he met members of KPD’s Special Operations Squad, Special Crimes Unit, Organized Crime Unit, and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
“No child was harmed thanks to the reporting by the concerned citizen and the fast work of all the law enforcement officers involved,” said DA Allen.
Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Kara Sowards and Legal Secretary Leah Graves aided in the prosecution of this case.
If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.