DeKalb County Man Arrested for Sexual Exploitation of Children

Decatur, GA (August 27, 2022) – On Thursday, August 25, 2022, Samuel “Tripp” Pickens Cook III, age 54, of DeKalb County, GA, was arrested for 10 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Cook’s online activity after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

GBI agents executed a search warrant at Cook’s residence where numerous electronic devices were seized and examined by GBI digital forensic investigators. Evidence was discovered from the search warrant which resulted in the arrest of Cook who was charged with 8 counts of Possession of Child Pornography and 2 counts of Distribution of Child Pornography. Cook was transported to the DeKalb 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 trade of child sexual abuse material. 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 sexual abuse material, 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. Anonymous 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.