Bartow man arrested on child porn charges

A 55-year-old Cartersville man was arrested on child pornography charges after a joint investigation by the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office and a specialized Georgia Bureau of Investigation internet crimes task force. According to the GBI:

Preston Nichols was arrested at his Woodhaven Court home early Thursday and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.

The GBI’S Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit assisted the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations in the execution of a search warrant Nichols’ home.

The investigation began as a result of numerous reports received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children pertaining to Nichols’ online activity. Bartow authorities conducted an investigation and obtained a search warrant for his residence.

Nichols is currently being held at the Bartow County Jail. Anyone with information pertaining to this case can contact PIO Jonathan White at the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office at 770-382-5050.

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 GBI Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870.