A Savannah man has been arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography at his home, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
GBI agents with the Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes unit, the Savannah Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and active members of the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted in the arrest of Phillip Ryan Smart on Friday in Savannah. He was charged with possession of child pornography.
Authorities issued a search warrant for the 31-year-old’s home related to an investigation into online sexual exploitation of children. As a result of the investigation, Smart was arrested. He is being held at the Chatham County Detention Center.
This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to identify those involved in child pornography trade. The U.S. Department of Justice developed the task force in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, which has coincided with the proliferation of child pornography and the heightened online activity by predators in search of unsupervised, underage victims.
Anyone with information about this case or any other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870.
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