Fox Anchor Matt Vereen Arrested on Child Pornography Charges, Released on $40,000 Bond
WACH FOX 57 anchor Matt Vereen has been arrested on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. Released on a $40,000 bond, Vereen faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Matt Vereen, a weekend anchor and sports reporter for WACH FOX 57 in South Carolina, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to an announcement by the state’s Attorney General’s Office.
The 28-year-old anchor’s arrest followed an investigation by the Columbia Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Arrest warrants obtained by WIS-TV revealed that investigators discovered child pornography on Vereen’s laptop.
One warrant detailed the discovery of a digital photo on Vereen’s MacBook depicting a girl between the ages of 11 and 13 in a sexually suggestive pose.
Other warrants described videos involving nude 13-year-old girls in compromising situations, including one video where a girl was seen twerking naked in a bathroom.
Investigators were able to trace Vereen’s activities through Gmail and Apple records, among other sources.
Vereen has been working as a sports anchor and reporter for WACH FOX 57 for nearly three years, and previously worked as a sports reporter and anchor for KOLR – a news station in Springfield, Missouri.
WACH FOX 57 now says it ‘understands the severity of these allegations,’ and noted that Vereen ‘has been placed on suspension pending an investigation.’
‘As this is a personnel matter, the station will not be commenting further at this time,’ a spokesperson for the news station told WIS-TV.
The Alvin S. Glenn Bond Court has since confirmed that Vereen was released on a $40,000 cash bond.
Under the conditions of the release, Vereen is not allowed to have access to personal internet, social media outside of work and no contact with a minor without adult supervision.
He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
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