Two Goodlettsville men are in Sumner County Sheriff's Office custody after investigators say a tip about child sexual abuse material shared on Snapchat and Instagram led deputies to their home, where phones were seized and forensic warrants followed. Justin Tyler Irick, 48, and Paul Daniel Irick, 18, were booked into the Sumner County Jail on August 12, with bonds set far into six figures and beyond.
According to Main Street Media of Tennessee, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office opened its investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Court records cited by the outlet indicate the tip concerned the alleged sharing of child sexual abuse material via Snapchat and Instagram, and investigators reportedly linked those accounts to Justin Tyler Irick and Paul Daniel Irick. That connection led law enforcement to execute a search warrant at the men's home this month.
During the search, deputies seized both men's phones after the pair reportedly consented to have the devices searched. Law enforcement reported discovering videos and photos that appeared to contain child sexual abuse material, per the same account. Justin Irick allegedly refused to provide a password to an application used to store videos and photos, prompting investigators to obtain separate warrants for forensic searches of the devices.
Charges and Bond Amounts
Justin Irick was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and was held on a $1 million bond, the article notes. Paul Irick faces eight counts of the same charge and was held on a $1.67 million bond. Under Tennessee law, sexual exploitation of a minor is classified as a Class D felony under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-1003, according to the Tennessee Court of Appeals. Both men are scheduled to appear in general sessions court on August 26.
A Pattern of Local Cybertip Cases
Goodlettsville straddles two counties, with its northern portion in Sumner County and its southern portion in Davidson County, giving the Sumner County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction over this case, per Data USA. The case adds to a string of recent exploitation prosecutions tied to the county. In June, Sumner County law enforcement arrested 36-year-old Marcus Roderick Kirkendoll on child sexual exploitation charges after another NCMEC tip regarding digital media, a case Hoodline previously covered.
In July, 39-year-old Goodlettsville resident Bobby Lequan Council pleaded guilty in federal court to child sexual exploitation charges after law enforcement discovered explicit videos on a phone in 2025. And in March, the Sumner County Sheriff's Office arrested six Middle Tennessee residents in a coordinated operation focused on child sexual exploitation. A Sumner County grand jury also indicted 19-year-old Goodlettsville resident Evan Camron Benefield in April on charges including especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee.
Statewide Cybertip Numbers Are Climbing
These local arrests reflect a broader statewide trend. Cases assigned to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children squad rose from 957 in 2024 to more than 1,500 in 2025, according to the agency. Most of these investigations begin with a NCMEC cybertip that is routed through the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by the Knoxville Police Department alongside 60 affiliate agencies, before reaching local sheriff's offices for search warrants and arrests.
Social media platforms have repeatedly surfaced in similar Middle Tennessee cases. In July 2025, an 18-year-old Rutherford County resident was arrested on aggravated sexual exploitation charges after a NCMEC tip linked illicit digital content to a Snapchat account, according to WGNS Radio. It remains unclear whether forensic examiners have completed their review of the locked application investigators say Justin Irick declined to unlock, and no additional charges have been announced beyond those filed at booking.
