Local sports reporter arrested on child exploitation charges

COLUMBIA — A local journalist has been arrested on suspicion of sexual exploitation after police found images of child sexual abuse on his computer and social media, officials said.

The South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Matthew Vereen, of Columbia, on Aug. 21 on three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, the state attorney general’s office said. A news release from the office said he was distributing and possessing child abuse material.

Vereen, 28, a Greenville native, is a television sports reporter at WACH FOX 57. He joined the station about three years ago after a stint at KOLR-TV in Springfield, Missouri, according to his company bio.

His arrest warrants show that in July 2023, police found two videos on his social media, each containing sexually explicit images of a minor. Investigators said Vereen had “solicited the purchase” of these video clips on social media, whose names were redacted from the released documents.

On August 21, police officers searching Vereen’s home found a prohibited image of a child on his laptop, one of the warrants said.

Vereen was released from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County on Aug. 22 after posting $40,000 bail, the clerk of court’s office said.

Vereen’s television station reported in an article on its website on August 23 that the company had suspended him.

“WACH FOX News understands the seriousness of these allegations and Vereen has been suspended pending an investigation,” it said. “As this is a personnel matter, the station will not be commenting further at this time.”

This story is being updated.