UPDATED 11:10 a.m.: Child Porn Allegedly Found On Trion Man’s Phone

A Trion man accused of storing child pornography on his cellphone has been arrested, according to Chattooga County Jail reports.

Jason Leon Thomas, 36, of Moore Street, was arrested on 100 counts of sexual exploitation of children.

The investigation started when sheriff investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children tip line.

“The suspect’s phone had saved and stored suspected child porn onto his phone’s backup. A search of the suspect’s phone revealed 100 suspected images of child pornography,” Sheriff’s Investigator Jason Burrage reported.

Sheriff’s officials were not sure about the ages of all the children depicted in the photographs. The images were taken to a child abuse pediatrician, Dr. Stephen Messner, with the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The doctor was able to professionally document the children were all under the age of 18, according to a report.

More details to come as they are released.

 

Press release from Sheriff Mark Schrader:

In August 2017 Sheriff Office Investigator Jason Burrage, as an affiliate member of Georgia’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, began an investigation regarding suspected child pornography. The investigation started from 2 tips received by Investigator Burrage from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at a residence occupied by Jason Leon Thomas located on Moore Street in Trion. Pursuant to that search warrant Thomas’s cell phone was seized and submitted to a digital forensic examiner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The results of that examination revealed numerous images, 100 of which were found to be in violation of Georgia’s computer pornography and sexual exploitation of children act.