Candler County Man Arrested for Distribution of Child Pornography

Metter, GA (March 1, 2021) – On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’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.  An investigation into Barrett’s internet activity by the GBI’s CEACC Unit began after a report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to the sexual exploitation of children by Barrett via the internet. 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. The GBI was assisted in this investigation by the Stillmore Police Department, the Candler County Sheriff’s Office, and the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office. Barrett was booked into the Emanuel County Jail.

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 Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.