In June of 2025, the Cookeville Police Department received a Cybertip about a Cookeville resident being in possession of child sexual abuse material. The Cookeville Police Department detectives assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) conducted an initial investigation and gathered sufficient evidence to obtain a search warrant for a residence located in Cookeville, TN.

On July 22, 2025, ICAC investigators with Cookeville Police Department executed a residential search warrant on Ronald Smith’s residence in Cookeville, where multiple electronic devices were seized.

Subsequently, Ronald Smith (40) was arrested on July 30, 2025, by the Franklin Police Department for our arrest warrant for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class B Felony. He was booked into the Putnam County Jail with a bail set at $55,000.

The Cookeville Police Department is dedicated to protecting the children of our community. To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child sexual abuse material; contact the Cookeville Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 931-520-5384 or visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) website at www.cybertipline.com.