Former Weakley County 911 Dispatcher Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges
Former 911 dispatcher Christopher John Gertsch faces multiple felony charges after federal cybertip led investigators to alleged child exploitation material on social media.
WEAKLEY COUNTY, TENNESSEE — A former 911 dispatcher was arrested Wednesday on charges related to child sexual exploitation following an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and federal authorities.
Christopher John Gertsch, 47, faces five felony charges including two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, two counts of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and one count of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. He was booked into the Weakley County Detention Center on $50,000 bond.
Investigation Began with Federal Cybertip
The investigation began in May when TBI agents received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding child sexual abuse material. The tip led investigators to discover that Gertsch had uploaded illegal images onto the social media platform Snapchat.
TBI agents with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force worked alongside the Weakley County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County SWAT, the office of 27th Judicial District Attorney General Colin Johnson, and Homeland Security Investigations during the probe.
Search Warrant Executed at Residence
Authorities executed a search warrant at Gertsch’s residence Wednesday, where they seized multiple electronic devices. The suspect was taken into custody during the search operation.
Weakley County 911 officials said they are cooperating with the TBI to ensure no emergency calls were missed during the period when the alleged crimes occurred. The agency has not disclosed how long Gertsch worked as a dispatcher or when his employment ended.
Ongoing Investigation and Resources
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation operates as an affiliate of the Tennessee ICAC Task Force, which focuses on combating crimes against children online. Officials encourage anyone with information about online child exploitation to contact the TBI Tipline at 1-800-TBI-FIND or email TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov.
Reports can also be filed through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. The TBI provides information about online safety and sextortion prevention on its website at www.tn.gov/tbi.
Parents seeking resources to help children develop online safety skills can visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website at www.netsmartz.org.
The charges against Gertsch are allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
