A multi-agency investigation between Alabama and Florida ended in the arrest of a man investigators believe was involved in multiple cyber offenses targeting children.
Cole Phillips, 27, of Spanish Fort, is charged with two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of transmitting obscene material to a child by computer.
The investigation began in February after the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Further investigation revealed that Phillips had been communicating with an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old boy in Florida.
According to court documents, Phillips was using the Zangi messenger app to send images of his own genitalia and a video of him engaging in a sexual act.
In conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, investigators determined that Phillips was the suspect. The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Street Crimes Unit took Phillips into custody and booked him into the Baldwin County Jail on Wednesday. He has since been released on bond, according to jail records.
Investigators are working to determine if there are additional victims.
"The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, alongside its law enforcement partners, remains firmly committed to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting individuals who exploit children online," the sheriff's office stated. "Protecting the safety and well-being of children in our community is a top priority."
Phillips is considered innocent until proven guilty.
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