A McMinn County facing child exploitation charges has turned himself in at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department.
According to a TBI press release, 29-year-old Cody Shane Gunter, of Niota, was arrested in April during ‘Operation Protecting Tomorrow’ and charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Solicitation of a Minor. TBI special agents with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) squad developed additional information linking Gunter to the production of child sexual abuse material. Those victims were identified last month and arrest warrants were obtained charging Gunter with three counts of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Gunter was located in Cumberland County with the assistance of the Sheriffs’ Offices of Rhea County, Fentress County and Cumberland County, along with the Graysville and Crossville Police Departments.
As of Thursday, Gunter was being held in Cumberland County without bond.
(TBI: The charges and allegations referenced are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.)