Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Child Exploitation Unit of his office arrested 44-year-old James Scott Scruggs, of Leander, Texas, on three counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
A CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) alerted the Child Exploitation Unit to Scruggs, who was reportedly uploading child pornography to a social media account.
While executing a search warrant at Scruggs’ home, investigators from the Child Exploitation Unit found photos and videos of child pornography on his cell phone. The Office of the Attorney General’s Digital Forensics Unit seized several digital storage devices for examination. During an interview, Scruggs admitted to investigators that he downloaded, viewed and uploaded files of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton’s office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online. Since its inception, the Child Exploitation Unit has made 322 arrests and obtained 567 convictions for possession of child pornography. Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their safety. If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography you can report it to NCMEC. For more information on cyber safety, please visit: https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/initiatives/cyber-safety/.