LINCOLN COUNTY – Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime & Digital Evidence Unit have charged a Lincoln County man in an ongoing investigation into child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The case led agents to other nearby counties before an arrest could be made.

The investigation began in 2023 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted authorities about an individual who allegedly uploaded several files of child sexual abuse material to an online platform. Agents identified 38-year-old Jonathan Christopher Kellar (DOB 6/24/1986) as the suspect behind the uploads.

In October 2024, TBI agents secured warrants charging Kellar, a resident of Fayetteville, Tennessee, with seven counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. However, after obtaining the warrants, authorities discovered that Kellar was no longer in his hometown. Through further investigative efforts, Kellar was located in nearby Manchester, Tennessee.

On Monday night, February 3, 2025, at around 9:30 PM, law enforcement officers in Coffee County took Kellar into custody. The following day, he was transferred to Lincoln County, where he is being held on a $140,000 bond, according to the TBI. Kellar is expected to appear before the Lincoln County Courts to face the seven counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the coming days.

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