- Matt Vereen, 28, was arrested Wednesday
- He was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
A Fox host has been arrested for possessing and distributing child pornography.
Matt Vereen, 28, a weekend anchor and sports reporter for the network’s affiliate, WACH FOX 57 in South Carolina, was arrested Wednesday and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the state Attorney General’s Office announced.
Disturbing Arrest Warrants obtained by WIS-TV describes how investigators from the Columbia Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the state’s Internet Crimes against Children Task Force found child pornography on his laptop.
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An arrest warrant shows that officers found a digital photo of a girl, between the ages of 11 and 13, in a sexually suggestive pose on his MacBook.
Others claim he bought a 1-minute, 32-second video of a naked 13-year-old girl standing over a camera, and another video of a 13-year-old girl twerking naked in a bathroom.
Matt Vereen, 28, was arrested Wednesday and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
Investigators say they tracked Vereen down through Gmail data, Apple data and another document that had been blacked out.
Vereen has been working as a sportscaster and reporter for WACH FOX 57 for almost three years. Before that, she worked as a sportscaster and anchor for KOLR, a news station in Springfield, Missouri.
WACH FOX 57 now says it “understands the seriousness of these allegations” and noted that Vereen “has been suspended pending an investigation.”
“Because this is a personnel matter, the station will not be commenting further at this time,” a spokesperson for the news station told WIS-TV.
Shocking arrest warrants detail how detectives found child porn on his laptop
Vereen worked as a sports anchor and reporter for WACH FOX 57 for nearly three years, but has been suspended pending an investigation
The Alvin S. Glenn Bond Court has since confirmed that Vereen has been released on $40,000 bail.
Under the terms of his release, Vereen is not allowed to access the internet or social media outside of work hours and is not allowed to have contact with minors without adult supervision.
If found guilty, he faces up to 30 years in prison.