Fox Anchor Matt Vereen Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

Police say Vereen used social media to solicit the purchase of abusive material.

By Michael Hein

South Carolina news anchor Matthew Vereen was arrested last month and charged with the possession and distribution of child pornography. The 28-year-old Greenvile native was a sports reporter for local outlet WACH FOX 57, and had previously worked at KOLR-TV in Springfield, Missouri, according to a report by The Post and Courier. Police say that Vereen "solicited the purchase" of child pornography on social media.

According to Vereen's arrest warrant, police discovered that he possessed two videos containing sexually explicit images of a minor in July of 2023. After the investigation, police obtained a warrant to search Vereen's home on Aug. 21, 2024, including his laptop. There, they discovered an explicit photo of a minor. A report by WISTV further specifies that the material concerned an underage girl. Vereen was taken into custody and booked in Richland County's Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. He was released the following day after posting $40,000 bond.

The arrest warrant was a part of the public record, but it was redacted in many places. Police hid the details of Vereen's illicit purchase, including which social media platform he used to solicit this material, how he paid for it, and how it was delivered to him. This could be a means of preventing readers from imitating Vereen's actions or allowing police to continue investigating other users.

Vereen was suspended from work following his arrest, and the station issued a statement on Aug. 23. It read: "WACH FOX News understands the severity of these allegations and Vereen has been placed on suspension pending an investigation. As this is a personnel matter, the station will not be commenting further at this time."

The Columbia Police Department arrested Vereen, but their investigation was reportedly aided by Homeland Security. They also had support from South Carolina's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. He was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor – two counts in the second degree and one count in the third degree.

The conditions of Vereen's release state that he will have no access to personal internet or social media unless required by work, but since he is suspended from WACH FOX, he will presumably not be online at all. He is also ordered not to have contact with any minors without adult supervision. If convicted, he may face up to 30 years in prison.

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