A Knox County man who distributed and possessed hundreds of images of child pornography was sent to prison today after prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Child Abuse Unit obtained multiple convictions for various child pornography charges. On March 30, 2018, Tighe Lee Crookston, 38, pled guilty to Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Crookston will spend the next eight years in prison at one hundred percent.

In a plea hearing before Judge Steve Sword, Assistant District Attorney Nate Ogle explained that in January 2016, Investigator’s with the Knoxville Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force launched an undercover investigation to locate individuals possessing and distributing images and videos of child pornography. Investigators located a computer with a unique IP address containing known images of child pornography and used peer-to-peer software to download dozens of files of child pornography directly and solely from the suspect computer. With the assistance of the DA’s Office, Investigators received information from an internet service provider to track the suspect computer to Crookston’s residence at 8620 Wimbledon Drive in Knoxville, TN. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence that was executed on December 7, 2016.

During the search warrant, investigators recovered a laptop computer and other electronic storage devices that were examined by KPD Forensic Computer Examiners.

As a result of the computer examination, investigators recovered over two hundred images and videos of child pornography, including images and videos of pre-pubescent children being raped.