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FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBIANA – Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigators received a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that led to the arrest of a Shelby County man for possession of obscene matter.

On Wednesday, February 8, Investigators arrested 19-year-old James Wyatts Roberts on 10 counts of “Possession of obscene matter containing visual depiction of persons under 17 years of age involved in obscene acts.”

Investigators currently have no information that suggests the images were produced in or near Shelby County.  Roberts is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail on $150,000 bond.

“Thanks to our partnership with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force we are able to continue to relentlessly pursue those who patronize the obscene images of children on the internet, which perpetrates the victimization of children,” Sheriff John Samaniego said. “ I am grateful to our hardworking men and women at the Sheriff’s Office who take these cases serious and the professionalism they each demonstrate in seeking justice.”

This investigation is ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office asks for anyone with additional information to call the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 205-670-6000. An anonymous tip can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777, or on their website at Crimestoppersmetroal.com.

For more information on the crimes charged, you can view the Alabama Criminal Code and search for code 13A-12-192.