Brandon Lee Smith (Haralson County Sheriff's Office)
HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia man was arrested after losing his phone and telling witnesses he was worried because the device contained child pornography, according to police.
What we know:
The Haralson County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a hospital emergency department on Feb. 6 after Brandon Lee Smith reported his phone missing. According to investigators, Smith told an individual in the department that he was worried about the phone being found because it could get him in "lots of trouble." He then allegedly confessed that there were inappropriate pictures of children on the device.
Deputies arrived at the ER and interviewed witnesses. Officials eventually recovered Smith's phone and obtained his permission to search it. Investigators with the department's Crimes Against Children Unit identified at least 10 images as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
Smith was arrested and charged with felony sexual exploitation of children.
What we don't know:
Officials have not disclosed why Smith was at the emergency department or the identity of the person who alerted police.
What's next:
The case remains under active investigation, and authorities noted that additional charges are possible.
The Source: Information in this article came from the Haralson County Sheriff's Office.