West Virginia authorities have arrested a 20-year-old man who allegedly used the online username âMrChildPornâ to share images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to state police and court documents.
Garrett Michael Highlander of Morgantown was taken into custody last week after an investigation triggered by tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), WSB-TV reported Wednesday. He remains held on a $100,000 bond.
Troopers served a search warrant at Highlanderâs home after NCMEC forwarded multiple complaints about a user bragging about possessing a large collection of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Investigators said Highlander used online names including âMrToxixâ and âMrChildPornâ on the Discord messaging platform, where he allegedly posted about and distributed the illicit content.
According to a criminal complaint cited by West Virginia News, Highlander claimed in conversations that he possessed the material, and other Discord users complained he was sending it to them unprompted. The complaint also states the account was used to query Discordâs artificial intelligence chatbot for sexually explicit terms involving children and to ask other users whether they were willing to trade CSAM.
When confronted by investigators, Highlander reportedly acknowledged making the statements but characterized them as attempts to provoke reactions from other users. He described the behavior as âtrollingâ and ârage baiting,â saying he found it amusing, according to court documents.
Investigators further said Highlander discussed Discord servers where juvenile females were allegedly groomed or encouraged to self-harm. He told investigators he was not involved in that activity but admitted he knew some of the girls were under 18. He also said he had watched a recording of a livestreamed video showing a man who traveled to New York and recorded himself having sex with a minor.
A forensic search of Highlanderâs phone uncovered more than 50 but fewer than 300 images and videos, according to the complaint. He is charged with a felony under West Virginia law for knowingly possessing, distributing, displaying, or electronically accessing with intent to view visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The arrest adds to a growing list of controversies surrounding Discord, a popular online gaming and communication platform that has faced repeated allegations of enabling grooming and predator behavior. In February 2025, Breitbart News reported on Discordâs history of such allegations. More recently, in September of that year, the mother of a 15-year-old California boy filed a lawsuit against both Discord and Roblox, alleging her son was groomed and coerced into sending explicit images on the apps before taking his own life.
Federal context
The U.S. Department of Justice emphasizes that federal law prohibits the production, advertisement, transportation, distribution, receipt, sale, access with intent to view, and possession of CSAM. The DOJ notes that every sexually explicit image or video of a child represents underlying abuse, rape, molestation, or exploitation, and that the production of such material creates a permanent record of the childâs victimization.
Highlanderâs case remains under investigation as authorities continue to examine his online activity and potential connections to broader networks involved in the distribution of illicit content. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Source: www.breitbart.com â https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/08/27/police-west-virginia-man-with-username-mrchildporn-accused-of-sharing-illicit-images-of-minors/