The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is reminding parents to use caution about what images they post online after a local man was charged with possessing child pornography.
Paul Matthew Wheat, 39, who lives off Mississippi 44 in the Improve community, remained in jail Monday on a $205,000 bond after being arrested Oct. 2 and charged with five counts of child exploitation and felony possession of a controlled substance.
“You like to think that your kids are safe, but there are people out there who take innocent photos of kids off the internet and then spread them all over the place to these pedophile sites,” Capt. Pete Williams of the sheriff’s office said. “We urge parents to use caution when posting things of their children online and to be sure about their privacy settings if they don’t want their personal photos to get out there on the dark web.”
After receiving allegations, investigators served a search warrant at Wheat’s home, Williams said. They found images of child pornography and seized several devices as well as drugs, according to Williams.
Wheat’s phone has been sent off for analysis, and more charges could be filed pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, Williams said.
While the problem of child porn has been growing nationwide, Williams said it’s not something they’ve had to deal with locally that often.
“When it is here in Marion County we’re going to investigate and prosecute the person to the fullest,” he said.
State law carries heavy penalties for child exploitation. The first count carries between five years and 40 years in prison and fines of $50,000 to $500,000. Second or subsequent violations require a sentence of between 20 years and life and fines of $100,000 to $1 million.
