VALDOSTA — A Valdosta man has been arrested and is facing child pornography-related accusations as part of a multi-person investigation. Two other men have been charged with trying to extort money from him in the case.

Theodore “Terry” Richards, 60, was arrested by Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Thursday, March 13.

He is being held on one count of possession or control of any material depicting a minor in sexually explicit conduct, according to the Lowndes County Jail. Jail records indicate he’s being held without bond.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Richards, a reporter for the Valdosta Daily Times, has been suspended from the newspaper pending adjudication of the charges against him.

On March 4, someone contacted the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office regarding child sexual abuse material — also called CSAM or child pornography — on electronic media, according to a press release Tuesday from the sheriff’s office. The individual provided the media to the sheriff’s office, which opened an investigation.

The items were processed via in the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensic Laboratory where over a thousand images of CSAM were initially located, the sheriff’s office said. During the review, the investigators were able to determine the media belonged to Richards. 

“As the investigation progressed,” the sheriff’s office said, “Richards contacted the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and explained he made a mistake years ago and was now being extorted. Richards came to the Sheriff’s Office and ultimately confessed to downloading and viewing CSAM. 

“He further explained he had been contacted by an individual claiming to have a laptop of his which contained CSAM,” the sheriff’s office release said. “Richards said he was able to confirm the validity of this conversation as the subject was able to tell certain details about the laptop only known to Richards.” 

Richards agreed to pay the individual in return for the laptop, the sheriff’s office said. The release said Richards met the individual and paid him the agreed amount and the individual gave Richards a laptop. Richards later realized the laptop wasn’t his and that the blackmailer still maintained possession of the actual laptop. 

On March 13, the person again contacted Richards and told him he would release the laptop to him for a larger dollar amount than the first time, the sheriff’s office said. Richards contacted law enforcement, who took control of the conversation and set up a meeting. 

“The subject agreed to meet with whom he thought was Richards, in order to return the laptop to him for the agreed amount,” the sheriff’s office said. 

During that exchange, deputies apprehended Justin McMillan and Curtis Neigler, who were found to be in possession of Richards’ laptop, according to the sheriff’s office statement. 

McMillan, 38, of Lowndes County, and Neigler, 39, of Tift County, were charged with theft by extortion, theft of lost/mislaid property, and possession or control of any material depicting a minor in sexually explicit conduct. The sheriff’s office release said Neigler was found to have an active arrest warrant out of Arkansas, but it did not say what that charge was. 

This is an ongoing investigation. Sheriff’s investigators urge anyone with information pertaining to this case to contact the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at (229) 671-2900.