A Pickett County man has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor following a thorough investigation conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and local authorities. The man identified as Wade Ellis Williams, 51, of Pall Mall, is facing allegations tied to the possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to WSMV, the TBI's Internet Crimes Against Children squad, alongside the office of the 13th Judicial District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, initiated the investigation in April 2023 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning a cloud storage account allegedly containing CSAM. Williams, a prior convicted sex offender, has been linked to this account. During a search of his home in July 2023, authorities seized several electronic devices believed to contain over 100 files of CSAM.
WKRN reports that this expansive investigation, which spanned over 18 months and involved cooperation between the TBI and Pickett County Sheriff’s Office, culminated in the arrest of Williams on November 22. He is currently detained at Pickett County Jail, with a
An investigation by the @TBInvestigation, Pickett County Sheriff’s Office & the office of the 13th Judicial Dist. Atty General Bryant Dunaway has resulted in the arrest of a Pall Mall man, charged w/sexual exploitation of a minor.https://t.co/UhGXzm6p6H
— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) November 23, 2024
bond set at $1 million.
No further details regarding the investigation have been disclosed. However, the TBI encourages the public to report any information related to online child exploitation. Reports can be made to the TBI Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or via email at [email protected]. Additionally, incidents can be reported through the NCMEC CyberTipline. As shared in a social media post from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, this arrest highlights the joint effort of state and local agencies in combatting child exploitation.
