ATHENS, Ga. — A 39-year-old Athens man has been arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of children following an investigation by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
Timothy Lee Randles was taken into custody April 16 after investigators began looking into his online activity in March, according to a department press release.
Police said the investigation was initiated after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTipline report indicating the possible online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation assisted in the case.
Authorities said the investigation is part of an ongoing effort by the department’s Special Victims Unit, which is a member of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, to identify individuals involved in the exchange of child sexual abuse material.
The case remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dara Shapland at 762-400-7198 or [email protected]. Tips regarding other cases of child exploitation can also be submitted to the GBI or through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline.
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