Marietta man arrested in 'undercover chat' investigation

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - A 52-year-old Marietta man has been arrested after an "undercover chat" investigation. 

According to officials, registered sex offender Howard Thomas Porter had been communicating with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl. However, it was actually a Cherokee County Sheriff's detective. 

Porter was arrested in Cobb County. He's been charged with three counts of obscene contact with a minor, six counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and three counts of using a computer to solicit a child for indecent acts. 

Porter is being held at the Cherokee County Detention Center on a $33,750 bond.