WHITE COUNTY, TN  –  60-Miles east of Murfreesboro in the area of Sparta, TN, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has made an arrest in a child sex abuse case. Special agents assigned to the TBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force have arrested and charged a suspect in connection to what is an active and ongoing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) investigation.

In December 2024, agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) concerning child sexual abuse material being sent to others by a Snapchat user, later identified as 40-year-old Timothy Rankin (DOB 7/1/1984).  Agents working alongside members of the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the White County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Rankin’s Sparta home.

Agents subsequently arrested Rankin, charging him with one count of Violation of Sexual Offender Registry.  White County deputies booked Rankin into the White County Jail, where, at the time of this release, he was being held on $15,000 bond. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about this case should contact 1-800-TBI-FIND.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is an ICAC affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force. Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of online child exploitation should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov, or report via the NCMEC CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

Parents seeking additional information about cybercrime, child exploitation, and how best to safeguard their loved ones can visit www.NetSmartz.org for a variety of topical, age-appropriate resources.

DISCLAIMER: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The arrest records or information about an arrest that are published or reported on NewsRadio WGNS and www.WGNSradio.com are not an indication of guilt or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.