Two Upson County Men Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children 

Upson County, GA (February 28, 2023) – On Thursday, February 23, 2023, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit executed two search warrants regarding separate child exploitation investigations. Joseph Carter, age 19, of The Rock, GA, was arrested and charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of children, possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) (three counts) and distribution of CSAM (three counts). Joseph Robinson, age 39, of Thomaston, GA, was arrested and charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of children, possession of CSAM (three counts) and distribution of CSAM (three counts).

The GBI CEACC Unit, host agency for the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children’s (ICAC) Task Force, initiated two separate investigations into the internet activity of Carter and Robinson. Both investigations were initiated after cybertips were received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving CSAM. GBI digital forensic investigators examined numerous electronic devices during the searches, resulting in the arrests. The Upson County Sheriff’s Office aided in the search warrants and subsequent arrests. Both Carter and Robinson were taken to the Upson County Jail.

Both investigations are part of the ongoing effort by the Georgia 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. 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 sexual abuse material, 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 Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.