Local, State and Federal agents were all involved in the arrest and multiple searches of properties in both Georgia and Alabama following a report in July that a man was downloading illicit materials from the internet.

The Haralson County Sheriff’s Office announced this morning that last week on August 1, multiple agencies took part in the arrest of Stephen Scott Knight, 52, of a Buchanan address after he was charged with five counts of computer pornography (sexual exploitation of a child) and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Per their release, Knight faces additional charges from other jurisdictions and agencies that became involved in the case which include the HCSO Crime Suppression Unit, the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force, investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

Officials during the August 1 raid seized two handguns and electronic devices from Knight’s bedroom during the arrest incident.

An additional search was made as the investigation expanded into Gadsden, Alabama, where Knight owned a property. Officials found additional illegal firearms and other items when the ATF and Alabama -based agencies searched the property across state lines.

The arrest and searches stemmed from information received by the HCSO from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. The release noted that the HCSO’s Crimes Against Children Specialist Sgt. Brent Duggins got more than 40 tips about illegal downloads coming out of Haralson County. As those tips came in, another investigation was begun after the ATF provided information about illegal firearms that might be in Knight’s possession to Sgt. Jason Bowman, who began looking into those tips.

“This case involved multiple jurisdictions and a lot of moving parts. It took a great amount of teamwork, and I could not be prouder of everyone that was involved in this case,” Sheriff Stacy Williams said in the release. “Child cases of any type are generally some of the worst that investigators see, a child pornography case of this magnitude takes a lot of work behind the scenes. I appreciate Sgt. Duggins and the job he has done, and I appreciate all of the other agencies that have worked so hard to get this individual in custody and get a lot of illegal guns off of the streets.”

HCSO in their release noted their appreciation from several agencies including the GBI, the ATF, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA,) Alabama State Patrol, Gadsden Police, the Union County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia and the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force.