Maryville man charged with sexual exploitation of a minor

    Blount County Sheriff James L. Berrong said today that a 19-year-old Maryville man is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
    Charles Paul Jones, 19, Carpenters Grade Road, Maryville, is being held in the Blount County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond pending a hearing in Blount County General Sessions Court at 9 a.m. August 21.

Investigators with the HEAT (Hi-Tech Evidence and Technology) Unit/ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children), have been conducting an undercover investigation on Jones for the past several days. Today, investigators executed a search warrant at Jones’ residence and seized three computers. Jones was not at the residence at the time, but a short time later he turned himself in, as well as another computer, at the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. A preview of the hard drive of Jones’ computer revealed more than 300 images of child pornography. The investigation is continuing.