University of West Georgia-Newnan student arrested on child porn charges

College student arrested for child porn

A University of West Georgia-Newnan student was arrested after investigators found allegedly disturbing and illegal content on an electronic device. Body camera of the campus arrest shows deputies leading him through the campus and to an awaiting patrol car. FOX 5's Doug Evans has the story.

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - A college student was arrested on campus after investigators found allegedly disturbing and illegal content on an electronic device.

What we know:

The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office says the arrest was made on the University of West Georgia-Newnan campus with the help of campus police. Body camera arrest of John Michael Karrels on the University of West Georgia campus shows deputies leading him through the campus and to an awaiting patrol car.

What they're saying:

They’ve charged him with one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of furnishing obscene materials to minors for possession of child sexual abuse material. The Coweta County Sheriff's Office says his arrest came after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of what law enforcement has termed a particularly egregious video involving children.

"With the assistance of the University of West Georgia Police Department, we were able to take the suspect into custody on campus here in Newnan," said Sgt. Chris Rickertson, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

Local perspective:

This is another investigation by the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Just last week, FOX 5 reported on the arrest of a Senoia father, 40-year-old Steve Hoover, also accused of possession of child porn. We talked with Sheriff Lenn Wood about these cases.

"Crimes against children are bad enough in person, but the internet has become a vast way for these predators to attack our children. In Coweta County, we are not going to put up with it."

Investigators say John Michael Karrels was 17-years-old at the time of his arrest but has since turned 18.