A Fox TV news anchor has been arrested on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.
The state's attorney general announced Sunday night, August 25, that Matt Varian, 28, a sports reporter for WACH FOX 57, a FOX TV affiliate in South Carolina, USA, was arrested last week Wednesday and charged with a minor. was charged with three counts of sexual abuse.
An arrest warrant obtained by WIS-TV revealed how investigators from the Columbia Police Department, Department of Homeland Security and the state's Children's Task Force on Internet Crimes found child pornography on his laptop.
An arrest warrant shows officers found a digital photo of a girl, between the ages of 11 and 13, on his MacBook.
Another warrant claims he purchased a one-minute, 32-second video of a naked 13-year-old girl standing over a camera, and another video of a 13-year-old girl walking around naked in a bathroom.
Investigators say Varian was tracked through Gmail records, Apple records and another record that was redacted.
Vereen has been working as a sports anchor and reporter for WACH FOX 57 for nearly three years, and previously worked as a sports reporter and anchor for KOLR, a news station in Missouri.
In a statement, WACH FOX 57 Now says it 'understands the seriousness of these allegations,' and noted that Varian has been 'placed on suspension pending an investigation.'
'As this is a personnel matter, the station will have no further comment at this time,' a news station spokesperson told WIS-TV.
Alvin S. Glenn Bond Court released Varian on a $40,000 cash bond with conditions that Varian not have personal Internet or social media access outside of work and have no contact with any minors without adult supervision.
If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.