COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Cookeville man was arrested after an investigation that began with a cybertip reporting suspected child sexual abuse material, according to the Cookeville Police Department.
Police said detectives received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in March 2026 after Google reported that a user had uploaded a file containing suspected child sexual abuse material.
During the investigation, detectives said they linked the activity to a residence on Sullivan Street in Cookeville.
On June 15, detectives executed a search warrant at the home and seized a cellphone belonging to 43-year-old Justin Whitaker.
Investigators said they found child sexual abuse material on the device and identified evidence consistent with information gathered during the investigation.
Whitaker was arrested and charged with one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and one count of Manufacturing, Sale, or Delivery of a Controlled Substance.
He was transported to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $625,000 bond.
September 11, 2001 is a day most associate with terror and tragedy. Austin Pollack shares a story from that day about hope and persistence: the effort to save a little girl’s life – with an organ donation. The problem? The young patient was in Houston, and her life-saving liver here in Nashville. With the grounding of all civilian aircraft, how could it be done? “Nobody ever said this isn’t possible.”
- Rhori Johnston
