A Metter man was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation following a brief investigation.
The state law enforcement agency says the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC) executed two search warrants related to a Sexual Exploitation of Children investigation involving Chad Anthony Barrett, 26, of Metter, GA.
A complaint filed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) prompted authorities to begin monitoring Barret’s computer. This investigation led to the execution of the search warrants at Barrett’s residence in Candler County, GA and at Barrett’s employer in Emanuel County, GA. As a result of the investigation, Barrett was arrested and charged with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography before he was booked into the Emanuel County Jail.
The Stillmore Police Department, the Candler County Sheriff’s Office, and the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office all assisted with the investigation.
This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade and the online sexual exploitation of children. The ICAC Program, created by the U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.
Anyone with information about this case — or any other cases of child exploitation — is asked to contact the GBI Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), on the GBI’s website or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
