A local South Carolina sports reporter was arrested last week after authorities discovered material on his laptop depicting the child sexual abuse of an underage girl, prosecutors said.
Matt Vereen, 28, was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor on Wednesday and subsequently suspended from his on-air work at WACH Fox 57.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by WIS, the Colombian journalist allegedly had a disturbing image of an underage girl between the ages of 11 and 13 on his Apple computer.
According to two other arrest warrants, on July 11, 2023, he also allegedly pressured the purchase of two approximately 90-second-long, sexually explicit clips of naked girls around the age of 13.
“WACH FOX News recognizes the seriousness of these allegations and Vereen has been suspended pending an investigation,” Vereen's employer said in a statement. “Because this is a personnel matter, the station will have no further comment at this time.”
He was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, all felonies, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office said.
If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of up to three decades.
The day before his arrest, Vereen was apparently on duty covering the start of the University of South Carolina football season.
The alleged pervert graduated from the University of Missouri and is from Carolina, according to his Facebook page.
He posted $40,000 bail and was released from jail the day after his arrest, the Post and Courier reported.
