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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
A Putnam County Commissioner is now facing child pornography charges after being arrested last week.
Jimmy Ray Neal was charged by federal prosecutors of possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography. The FBI and Homeland Security investigators executed a search warrant on Neal’s home in Baxter, Tennessee, after receiving a criminal complaint.
The complaint alleged that Neal, under the username “Tennesseemaster,” ran a group on the Kik social media app in which sexual images of prepubescent children were shared.
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The investigation has been underway since July 2021, when a man in Oklahoma was arrested for child pornography and other Kik group members were identified.
Neal’s Facebook page says that he is a former lieutenant for the Tennessee Highway Patrol and a deputy in the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. He was selected as the Republican nominee for another term as County Commissioner in May.
A post from Neal reads, “My entire adult life has been in service to my Country and my State and my Community. God, County, and Family are my priorities. I humbly ask for your support to serve as a new and fresh approach to our complex issues involving our school age children.”
The full release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office is below. Neal faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
NASHVILLE – A Putnam County Commissioner was charged yesterday with possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Jimmy Ray Neal, 57, of Baxter, Tennessee, was arrested at his home, after FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant. Neal was transported to Nashville and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge late yesterday.
A criminal complaint obtained yesterday alleges that Neal was identified as an administrator of a group in the Kik app in which images of child pornography were viewed and shared with other users. Specifically, the images depicted naked pre-pubescent females with the focus on the genital area.
This long-running investigation by the FBI began in July 2021, and after the arrest of an Oklahoma man on child pornography charges, other users in the Kik app group were identified, including “tennesseemaster,” later identified as Jimmy Ray Neal.
A preliminary and detention hearing is set for Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 2 p.m.
If convicted, Neal faces a mandatory minimum of five years, and up to 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison is prosecuting the case.
The charges are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
