On June 4, 2014, Detectives with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division arrested a Marion County, Tennessee man who came to Chattanooga to engage in sex acts with a minor. The suspect, Christian Matthews, age 27, initiated contact with a minor through the social media site Facebook and requested a meeting to engage in sex acts. The minors mother reported the information to law enforcement, at which time Detective Ashburn was assigned the investigation.

The suspect continued the discussions of sex and traveled to Chattanooga with the intent to meet the minor to have sex. The suspect was arrested without incident upon his arrival at the undisclosed location and charged with Solicitation of a Minor to Commit Aggravated Statutory Rape.

Detective Ashburn, who is part of the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force, says these type of cases are common and on the rise, encouraging all parents to monitor their children’s and teens internet use. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office works closely with the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office to ensure cases involving those who prey on children, are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.