Franklin County Man Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Canon, GA (April 21, 2021) – On Tuesday, April 20, 2021, Franklin County resident, Matthew Otis Reidling, age 39, was charged with four counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Pornography) and three counts Sexual Exploitation of Children (Distribution of Child Pornography) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Reidling’s online activity after receiving Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possession and distribution of numerous images and videos depicting child pornography by Reidling via the internet. This investigation led to a search warrant at Reidling’s home in Canon, Franklin County, Georgia, and the subsequent arrest of Reidling on April 20, 2021. The GBI CEACC Unit was assisted in the execution of their search warrant by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Canon Police Department, and the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office.

Reidling is currently in the custody of the Franklin 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 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.