Over a dozen tips lead to arrest of Bessemer man on child pornography charges
A Bessemer city man was arrested Wednesday for possessing child pornography after authorities received 17 different tips about him, police said.
Scott Charles Beam, 35, a registered sex offender, is being held at the Gaston County Jail on a $225,000 bond, according to the Gaston County Police Department.
This isn’t the first time that Beam has been accused of child sex crimes. In 2015 he was convicted of child sexual exploitation, The Charlotte Observer confirmed with court records.
Police said Beam molested a 9-year-old girl he’d met at church over five months, from February to June of 2013, according to news reports from channel 12.
After receiving the 17 tips submitted to both the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Gaston County Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the State Bureau of Investigation teamed up to serve a search warrant Tuesday and Wednesday of Beam’s residence.
Gaston County Police declined to share more information about the case.
The investigations continue, and anyone with further information is asked to contact Det. M. Rheinson at 704-866-3320 or Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000.
