A local Fox News anchor in South Carolina has been arrested on charges of child exploitation and child pornography. 28-year-old Matt Vereen was a weekend anchor and sports reporter for WACH Fox 57 in Columbia. Police arrested Vereen on Wednesday and recovered several electronic devices from him that contained evidence of the alleged crimes.
The arrest warrant, which is partially redacted, states that investigating officers found an image of a child on his laptop in a “sexually explicit state of nudity.” The warrant states that the young girl was dressed in see-through clothing and posing in a sexually explicit position.
Investigators learned of Vereen’s alleged activities through his Gmail records, Apple records, and ISP records, as well as one additional electronic source that was redacted. An additional search warrant states that Vereen had been attempting to purchase sexually explicit videos of children from an unidentified child pornography source.
Vereen’s LinkedIn profile states that he’s been with the local Fox affiliate station in Columbia, SC, for the past three years. Before that, he worked for a CBS News affiliate in Springfield, MO.
Vereen has been charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Based on the contents of the warrants against him, prosecutors may end up adding more charges.
Vereen’s bail was set at $40,000. If he does manage to post bail, the conditions of his release state that he must not access the internet or social media outside of a work setting, and that he is not allowed in the presence of any children without adult supervision present. Vereen faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the current charges.