COVINGTON, Ga. — A Newton County resident is facing charges in connection with uploading suspected child pornography.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation charged Carlos Porter, 21, with Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) in violation of state law, a news release stated.

Porter, whose address is listed as Conyers, was being held Friday in the Newton County Jail without bond on one count of the felony charge, according to information from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

The GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit began an investigation into Porter’s online activity after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the upload of suspected child pornography by Porter using a popular social media application, the release stated.  

It stated a search of Porter’s home and electronic devices produced evidence that led to his Tuesday, Dec. 8, arrest. Porter was taken into custody and booked into the Newton 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 release stated. 

The CEACC Unit brought the charges, a news release stated.

“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 GBI Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870.  

Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-8477, online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.