An Ashland City man was nabbed by law enforcement following an undercover operation that exposed his attempt to engage in sexual activities with a minor. Keith Taualii Choate, a 20-year-old resident of Middle Tennessee, stood accused of sending sexually explicit messages and images to an undercover agent who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Investigative efforts by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began in July 2023 when the suspect started sending inappropriate content. "The male individual sent sexually explicit messages and photographs to the minor persona, and requested the perceived 14-year-old send sexually explicit photographs of herself back to him," reported Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also stated that during the course of the investigation, it became clear that Choate was the man behind the illicit communications.
Choate's arrest occurred earlier this week in Williamson County, with law enforcement including the Ashland City Police Department and the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office playing pivotal roles in the operation. He faced one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, as mentioned by FOX17. He was booked into the Cheatham County Jail, where he was held on a $50,000 bond.
The investigation serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that lurk online and the continuous efforts by authorities to clamp down on individuals preying on minors. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation encourages anyone with information regarding online child exploitation to reach out via their tipline or through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s cyber tipline. This sentiment was echoed in a statement provided by WKRN, which highlighted the collaborative nature of law enforcement agencies in battling cyber crimes against children.
