A Fox anchor has been arrested on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. Matt Vereen, 28, a weekend anchor and sports reporter at WACH FOX 57 in South Carolina, was arrested on Wednesday. He faces three charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the state's Attorney General.
Disturbing arrest warrants obtained by WIS-TV, detail how investigators from the Columbia Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force found child pornography on Vereen's laptop. One arrest warrant shows authorities found a digital image of a girl, between the ages of 11 and 13, in a suggestive stance on his MacBook.
Arrested for Distributing Child Pornography
According to others, he bought two videos of a 13-year-old girl twerking in the bathroom and a one-minute, 32-second clip of the girl standing over a camera in the nude.
Investigators say they located Vereen using Gmail records, Apple records, and another document that was redacted.
Vereen has been employed as a sports anchor and reporter at WACH FOX 57 for nearly three years. He previously worked as a sports reporter and anchor at KOLR, a news station in Springfield, Missouri.
Suspended Till Investigation Is Over
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 confirmed that Vereen was released on a $40,000 cash bond.
As part of his release conditions, Vereen is prohibited from using personal internet or social media outside of work and cannot have contact with minors unless under adult supervision.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
