Fannin man arrested on child exploitation charges

Blue Ridge, GA (September 30, 2021) – On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, Richard Shane Arp, age 45, of Fannin County, Georgia, was arrested and charged with three counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material) and one count of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit.

The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Arp’s online activity after receiving a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the online possession and distribution of images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

This investigation led to a search warrant at Arp’s home on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, where digital devices were searched and seized, and Arp was subsequently arrested. The GBI CEACC Unit was assisted in the execution of the search warrant by the GBI Special Enforcement Team (SET), the Georgia State Patrol, and the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office.

Arp was transported to the Fannin County Jail upon his arrest.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.