JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — A Jefferson, Georgia couple - who were both supposed to be trusted members of the community - face charges of child porn.
Jefferson Police Chief Joseph Wirthman said Doug and Carol Chellew were arrested last week on computer child exploitation charges. It was all related to a joint child sex sting called Operation Southern Impact III.
Authorities said they found at least 40,000 child pornographic images at the Jefferson couple's home.
Police said the husband, Doug, was a freelance photographer for local schools. His wife, Carol, was an employee at the Jackson County Sheriff's Office working as a clerk. She has since been fired.
Wirthman said when police went to arrest the freelance photographer, they caught him in his living room, downloading child porn. Carol was gardening outside at the time of the arrest.
"We entered the house, he was sitting there, he had two chatroom there where he was up chatting with preteen girls and downloading pornography as we entered," Wirthman told 11Alive's Elwyn Lopez.
Police showed us piles of evidence they say were found inside the home, including 700 labeled discs - some with ratings - over a dozen cellphones, about 30 hard drives, two rifles, a pistol, an AR-15 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Carol has since bonded out of jail, but Doug is still behind bars. His bond is set at $315,000. They both face at least 15 counts of computer child exploitation charges.
