A Fox anchor has been arrested for possessing and distributing child pornography.
Matt Vereen, 28, a weekend anchor and sports reporter for the network's affiliate WACH FOX 57 in South Carolina, was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the state's Attorney General announced.
Disturbing arrest warrants obtained by WIS-TV detail how investigators with the Columbia Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the state's Internet Crimes against Children Task Force found child pornography on his laptop.
[perform-sport]One arrest warrant shows that officers found a digital photo on his MacBook of a girl, between the ages of 11 to 13, in a sexually suggestive pose.
Others claim he purchased a one-minute 32-second video of a nude 13-year-old girl standing over a camera, and another video of a 13-year-old girl twerking naked in the bathroom.
Investigators say they tracked Vereen down through Gmail records, Apple records and another record that was redacted.
Vereen has been working as a sports anchor and reporter for WACH FOX 57 for nearly three years, and previously worked as a sports reporter and anchor for KOLR - a news station in Springfield, Missouri.
WACH FOX 57 now says it 'understands the severity of these allegations,' and noted that Vereen 'has been placed on suspension pending an investigation.'
'As this is a personnel matter, the station will not be commenting further at this time,' a spokesperson for the news station told WIS-TV.
The Alvin S. Glenn Bond Court has since confirmed that Vereen was released on a $40,000 cash bond.
Under the conditions of the release, Vereen is not allowed to have access to personal internet, social media outside of work and no contact with a minor without adult supervision.
He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
