Pickens County Man Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Jasper, GA (December 3, 2020) – On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, Pickens County resident, Christopher Blackstone, age 41, was charged with (3) counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) in violation of O.C.G.A 16-12-100(b)(8) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Blackstone’s online activity after receiving a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the upload of suspected child pornography by Blackstone via the internet.  A search of Blackstone’s home and electronic devices produced evidence which led to the arrest of Blackstone on December 2, 2020.

Blackstone is currently in custody at the Pickens 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. 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 other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation 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.