30-year-old man charged with child molestation

State and local authorities on Tuesday, May 12, arrested a 30-year-old Walker County man for child molestation and possession of child pornography.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation:

On Tuesday, May 12, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Walker County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the residence of Damon Scarlett, 30, in Lafayette, Walker County, Georgia.

The search warrant was related to an investigation pertaining to the online sexual exploitation of children. As a result of the investigation, Scarlett was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, creation/ distribution of child pornography, and child molestation. Scarlett is being held at the Walker County jail.

The 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 and the online sexual exploitation of children. The ICAC Program, created by the US 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 this case or any other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Computer Crimes and Child Exploitation Unit at 404270-8870.