West Virginia law enforcement said a 20-year-old man who allegedly used the name “MrChildPorn” online is accused of possessing material depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
West Virginia State Police said the suspect, Garrett Michael Highlander of Morgantown, was arrested last week after he allegedly used the Discord platform to share those images, WSB-TV reported Wednesday.
Authorities are holding the suspect on a $100,000 bond.
Troopers served a warrant at his home once they received numerous tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a man bragging about having numerous images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which is also commonly known as child porn.
West Virginia News cited a criminal complaint which said the suspect allegedly claimed to have the material in conversations online and other Discord users complained that he was sending it to them.
“Investigators also said the Discord account was used to search Discord’s artificial intelligence chatbot for sexually explicit terms involving children and to ask other users whether they were willing to trade child sexual abuse material,” the article read, adding officials asked Highlander about the internet activity:
Highlander reportedly told investigators that his statements in the Discord chats were intended to provoke or anger other users. He described the behavior as “trolling” and “rage baiting” and said he found it amusing, according to court documents.
Investigators also said Highlander described Discord servers where juvenile females were allegedly groomed or encouraged to engage in self-harm. According to the complaint, Highlander told investigators he was not involved in that activity but acknowledged knowing some of the girls were younger than 18.
The suspect also said he watched a recording of a streamed video showing a man who allegedly traveled to New York and recorded himself having sex with a minor.
Investigators reportedly found more than 50 but fewer than 300 images and videos on Highlander’s phone.
“Highlander is charged under a felony to knowingly possess, distribute, display, electronically access with intent to view or transport a visual portrayal of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” the article read.
Discord is one online gaming platform that has faced allegations of grooming and allowing predators to go unchecked, Breitbart News reported in February 2025.
In September, “The mother of a 15-year-old boy from California has filed a lawsuit against online gaming platforms Roblox and Discord, alleging that her son was groomed and coerced into sending explicit images on the apps before tragically taking his own life,” the outlet said.
Click here to read more articles regarding the crime of child pornography, and here for more about Discord.
“Federal law prohibits the production, advertisement, transportation, distribution, receipt, sale, access with intent to view, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Underlying every sexually explicit image or video of a child is abuse, rape, molestation, and/or exploitation. The production of CSAM creates a permanent record of the child’s victimization,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
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