A Columbus man has been arrested and charged with one count of exploitation of a child.
Robert Alton Ming, 26, of 139 Beck Dr., was arrested Wednesday by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department after the department received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Ming was downloading child pornography.
The sheriff’s department executed a search warrant at Ming’s residence and seized a laptop computer, cellphone and other memory devices, according to a press release issued by the department.
Ming is currently on probation with the Mississippi Department of Corrections for a 2009 conviction in Louisiana of Unlawful Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile, the release stated. He could also face additional charges.
Ming is currently in the custody of the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center awaiting bond.
Ming is the second Lowndes County man arrested for exploitation of a child in less than a month. Kenneth Franks, 44, of 128 Burton Dr., in Caledonia, was arrested on Aug. 19 and charged with one count exploitation of a child. He received a bond of $25,000. The sheriff’s department refused to release details of Franks’ case, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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