Cybertip Leads to Arrest of a Former Weakley County 911 Dispatcher on Charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

WEAKLEY COUNTY (June 3) – A TBI investigation involving agents with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Weakley County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County SWAT, the office of the 27th Judicial District Attorney General Colin Johnson and Homeland Security Investigations has resulted in the arrest of a Weakley County man.

In May, TBI agents began investigating a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM). During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Christopher John Gertsch (DOB 04/18/1979) uploaded CSAM onto Snapchat.

Wednesday, while executing a search warrant at Gertsch's residence, TBI agents seized multiple devices. He was taken into custody and charged with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, two counts of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and one count of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Gertsch was booked into the Weakley County Detention Center on $50,000 bond.

Weakley County 911 is working with the TBI to ensure that no calls for service were missed during the commission of these crimes.

The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is an ICAC affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force. Anyone with information about these cases or other cases of online child exploitation should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND, TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov, or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org.

The TBI has information about online dangers, sextortion, and common-sense tips for the public on its website, at www.tn.gov/tbi. Parents and caregivers looking for resources aimed at helping children develop online safety skills should visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website, at www.netsmartz.org.