Blount County, Tennessee – Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said investigators arrested a 21-year-old Maryville man Monday following an investigation that revealed actual and AI generated images of child pornography on his electronic devices.

Dakota D. Campbell, 21, of Alisha Way, Maryville, is being held at the Blount County Correctional Facility on bonds totaling $200,000 on eight counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor (Class C felonies).

The Sheriff’s Office’s investigation into Campbell began in late 2024 after the Sheriff’s Office received a tip from ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children). During the course of the investigation, investigators with ICAC and the Sheriff’s Office conducted multiple search warrants on   Campbell’s Kick social media account as well as his electronic devices and his residence. The investigation wrapped up Monday after a review of all of his devices and data revealed more than 100 actual and AI (artificial intelligence) generated images and anime of child pornography. On Monday, investigators took Campbell into custody at his home on Alisha Way without incident.

Campbell will face his charges in Blount County General Sessions Court at 9 am on August 25, 2025.

In May, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a law criminalizing AI-generated child pornography that went into effect July 1, 2025. The law criminalizes the possession, distribution, or production of software or technology designed to create AI-generated child sexual abuse material.