Athens man arrested for possessing child sexual abuse material

By Joe Johnson

Timothy Lee Randles, 39, of Almond Drive, was arrested this week for possessing child sexual abuse material.

The Investigation began in November with a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children that Randles had uploaded images of children being sexually abused to the Kik messaging app.

The tip had initially been assigned to the FBI and further investigation was conducted by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.

ACCPD arrested Randles on Wednesday, charging him with one count of sexual exploitation of children.

He’s being held at the county jail without bail.

This is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with information about the case is asked to contact

Detective Shapland at 762-400-7198 or Dara.Shapland@accgov.com.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the GBI

CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870 or submit a tip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children CyberTipline at Cybertipline.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling

1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading

the See Something, Send Something mobile app.