According to the police department, the man — Austin Mullis —was working for a vendor at the fair when he was confronted by a YouTube influencer on Tuesday
PERRY, Georgia — A man confronted by a vigilante YouTube influencer at the Georgia National Fair on Tuesday has been arrested and charged after child pornography was found on his phone, according to Perry Police Major Heath Dykes.
In a release on Thursday, the police department says they began an investigation over potential sexually explicit communication with an individual believed to be a minor. During the course of that investigation, the department conducted a court-authorized search of the cell phone of suspect 38-year-old Austin Mullis.
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Dykes says that the search of his phone uncovered child pornography.
The department says that the criminal charges stem from conduct separate from the Tuesday confrontation with a YouTube influencer, who police say is known to set up fake accounts and pose as a child online to catch suspected predators.
Dykes expressed disapproval of the tactics, especially when law enforcement is not involved beforehand.
“That’s just not safe,” Dykes said.
All five people involved — the four people in the vigilante group and Mullis — were issued trespass warnings, banning them from the Georgia National Fairground’s property, according to Dykes.
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The Perry Police Department emphasizes that there is no known threat to the public and that information is being withheld as the investigation moves forward.
Mullis was booked into the Houston County Jail on charges of computer pornography/child exploitation, according to jail records.
The department asks anyone with information to contact Perry Police Lt. Kimberly Morton with the criminal investigations division.
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