Columbia County, GA (February 10, 2023) – On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, Robert Collins, III, age 48, of Columbia County, GA, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual exploitation of children by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI Thomson Investigative Office began an investigation after receiving a report in reference to Collins’ online activity. This investigation led to a search warrant of Collins’ home and his subsequent arrest. The GBI was assisted in the execution of this search warrant by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Collins was taken to the Columbia County Jail upon his arrest.

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 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. 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.

Contact

Special Agent in Charge Pat Morgan

[email protected]