GRAND COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) – A Grand County man was taken into custody by sheriffs on Wednesday, Jan. 25 after a “lengthy investigation” with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

Carl Wesley Varner, 60, was booked into the Grand County Jail and faces 10 second-degree felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to the booking affidavit, law enforcement had tracked an IP address to the Grand County area that had been allegedly distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) since July 2022. On Wednesday, the ICAC Task Force and Grand County Sheriffs executed a warrant to the reported address, where they said they made contact with Varner.

Varner allegedly admitted to having seen child pornography and to previously using the peer-to-peer network used to share the files, but declined to elaborate any further without a lawyer present.

Police say a search of Varner’s laptop allegedly found over a hundred files of CSAM.

Grand County Sheriff said in a release the operation was a joint effort with the Attorney General’s Office and was a valued achievement for the agency with a continued effort in the pursuit of justice.