A Campbell County Sheriff’s Office detective is facing a felony charge after a grand jury indicted him on March 11 in connection with an alleged child sexual exploitation case, according to state investigators. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the case stems from a probe into suspected child sexual abuse material that started after a tip from national partners. The sheriff’s office says the employee’s status was immediately terminated, and the suspect was booked into the county jail.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, special agents with the agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children squad received a tip in October from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that multiple child sexual abuse material files were being distributed to and from a Discord account. During the follow-up, investigators say they identified Zachary Bryce Daugherty as the user behind that account and then presented their findings to a Campbell County grand jury, which returned an indictment on March 11. The TBI lists aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor as the charge against Daugherty.
In a statement on the Campbell County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, Sheriff E. Wayne Barton II said the alleged incidents occurred in April 2025 and June 2025 while Daugherty was working part-time for the agency, and that his employment was immediately terminated. The post directs questions about the investigation to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and notes that the statement was published on March 11.
Investigation and arrest
Investigators say Daugherty was arrested, booked into the Campbell County Jail, and held on a $75,000 bond. As reported by WVLT, the TBI investigation began after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and used digital forensics to zero in on the Discord account user. Officials have not released additional information about the evidence, any potential victims, or a court date.
What the charge means
Under Tennessee law, aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor (T.C.A. § 39‑17‑1004) makes it illegal to knowingly promote, sell, distribute, purchase, exchange, or possess material that depicts a minor in sexual activity, and it allows for tougher penalties depending on the number and nature of the files involved. The statute outlines several ways prosecutors can classify and combine counts based on the materials in question. The full text of the law is available in Tennessee Code §39‑17‑1004.
Next steps and resources
The TBI release notes that an indictment is a formal accusation and that Daugherty is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The agency is asking anyone with information relevant to the case to contact its tip line. The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office has directed media questions about the investigation to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Parents and caregivers seeking guidance on how to talk with kids about online safety and report suspicious activity can find educational tools and reporting resources through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Netsmartz program at Netsmartz.
