MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Controversial Mid-South radio host Thaddeus Matthews was arrested Wednesday night, charged with posting a picture of a young child engaged in a sex act on his Facebook page.
The picture, which shows a toddler performing oral sex on a man, went viral over the weekend on social media in the Mid-South.
Police said they received a complaint about the image on Friday, when someone walked into the Old Allen Station to complain about the image on Facebook.
Police say on Tuesday, they were informed Matthews had posted the picture on his Facebook page.
"I took a chance, I put it up there for 30 or 40 minutes," Matthews said on Tuesday night.
Matthews says he was hoping someone would recognize the child and call police.
"I understand that you are not supposed to let's say, put porn out there," Matthews said. "I put it up there for a few minutes, if someone wants to come after me, for trying to help a child, bring it. Come on, do what you do."
"Certainly we would have thought the desired response would have been to contact law enforcement versus posting a picture like that and allow it to go viral," Police Director Armstrong said late Tuesday.
"I don't know what his intentions was, I don't know if he had the best intentions, I don't know if he had, ill intentions," Armstrong said. "You can see what kind of dilemma you put yourself in when you take steps to do things like that."
On Wednesday night, Police said they charged Matthews with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
abc24.com was notified about the photo over the weekend by a concerned viewer. Late Tuesday, an investigator stopped by our newsroom to collect evidence and document the photo.
Police say they understand you can't control what is sent to you. They say that if you ever receive something like that, call police immediately.
Investigators with MPD's Crimes Against Children Unito (ICAC) continue to investigate where the picture came form.
"ICAC is currently investigating further into this incident and is also attempting to discover the orientation of the original photo. At this time, investigators believe that through other investigative leads, more charges are to follow," MPD said in a news release.
Matthews was booked at the Shelby County Jail and is currently out on $100,000 bond.
