Blount County Sheriff’s Office Employee Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

Image: Blount County Sheriff's Office jail Deputy Christopher Thomas is charged with multiple child pornography crimes.

T.L. Sullivan | The Weekly Ledger News | Top News

BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. — The Blount County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday the arrest of one of its employees on multiple child exploitation charges, a case Sheriff Mark Moon described as a “gut punch” to the department and community.

Christopher Thomason was taken into custody by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) in coordination with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The arrest occurred at the Alabama Police Officers Standard Training Academy, located at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Training Facility.

Thomason faces 11 counts related to child pornography. Authorities say he had been employed at the Blount County Jail since August 2024, where he also assisted with K9 sweeps.

Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey alleged that Thomason sent sexually explicit images of himself to children as young as 12 via Snapchat, often while wearing his deputy uniform.

Image: Christopher Thomason was arrested by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. (Office of Pamela Casey)

“It takes one bad apple to make everyone look bad,” Casey said. “I wish there were ways to weed out every bad apple in every career. Sadly, in this case, he wore his uniform when sending messages.”

Casey urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity closely.

“In my opinion, nothing good comes out of Snapchat,” she added, encouraging any families who believe their children may have been in contact with Thomason to immediately reach out to law enforcement.

Image: Christopher Thomason(Blount Co. Sheriff's Department FB)

Sheriff Moon, who was notified of the arrest on September 9, said he immediately began the process of terminating Thomason’s employment.

“I am deeply saddened and disturbed by this situation. The actions alleged are completely unacceptable and betray the values of trust, integrity, and protection that we are sworn to uphold,” Moon said in a statement. “This office will always operate with transparency and accountability to the people we serve, and we will continue to fully cooperate with ALEA and all agencies involved in this investigation.”

At a press conference, Moon acknowledged the shock within his department.

“There were zero complaints about this guy. Everybody loved him—he had a great work ethic,” he said. “All of us are shocked by this.”

Moon noted that Thomason had previously served as a reserve officer before joining the jail staff full-time. He emphasized that Thomason underwent a full background check prior to employment but said the department is reviewing its hiring process to identify potential areas for improvement.

The sheriff also expressed regret to any victims affected.

“I’m sorry that someone who was supposed to be trusted, someone who was supposed to uphold the law, did something this heinous,” Moon said.

Authorities confirmed that a search warrant was executed at Thomason’s home as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Weekly Ledger News will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.