Federal prosecutors have charged Putnam County Commissioner Jimmy Ray Neal of Baxter with possession and distribution of child pornography. Neal, who won the Republican nomination for another term earlier this month, allegedly went by the handle “Tennesseemaster” on an app used to share pictures of pre-pubescent children.

According to his Facebook page, Neal is a former Tennessee Highway Patrol lieutenant and deputy in the Putnam County Sherriff’s Department.

“My entire adult life has been in service to my Country and my State and my Community. God, Country and Family are my priorities,” Neal said in the post. “I humbly ask for your support to serve as a new and fresh approach to our complex issues involving our school age children.”

An initial court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Here’s the release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

NASHVILLE – A Putnam County Commissioner was charged yesterday with possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Jimmy Ray Neal, 57, of Baxter, Tennessee, was arrested at his home, after FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a search warrant.  Neal was transported to Nashville and appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge late yesterday. 

A criminal complaint obtained yesterday alleges that Neal was identified as an administrator of a group in the Kik app in which images of child pornography were viewed and shared with other users.  Specifically, the images depicted naked pre-pubescent females with the focus on the genital area.

This long-running investigation by the FBI began in July 2021, and after the arrest of an Oklahoma man on child pornography charges, other users in the Kik app group were identified, including “tennesseemaster,” later identified as Jimmy Ray Neal. 

A preliminary and detention hearing is set for Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at 2 p.m.

If convicted, Neal faces a mandatory minimum of five years, and up to 20 years in prison. 

This case is being investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison is prosecuting the case.

The charges are merely accusations.  The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.