Thirty one year old Cody Helton of Attalla, identified as a registered sex offender in Etowah County, has been arrested on child pornography charges.

Helton was taken into custody on Tuesday of this week by Rainbow City police – accused of being in possession of child pornography images that were mixed in with a large amount of adult pornography images and bestiality videos.

The investigation reportedly began as law enforcement received a cyber tip on Helton from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in early October resulting in a search warrant being obtained for Helton’s home.

Rainbow City detectives, Investigators from the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, agents from the Bureau of Pardons & Parole and investigators with the Oxford Police Department’s East Metro Area Crime Center Unit executed the warrant in the 4000 block of Gallant Road and it was discovered that Helton had not actually been staying at his registered residence – but was instead at a residence in Gadsden.

Authorities soon found Helton at a relative’s residence in the 2000 block of Emma Sansom Avenue and took him into custody without incident.

Law enforcement obtained 21 arrest warrants for possession of child pornography and one warrant for possession with the intent to distribute.  Helton’s bond is set at $365,000.

Back in 2018, Helton was convicted on a charge of child abuse and the possession of child pornography.  Authorities said that Helton sexually abused a 10 year old girl and detectives found more than 250 photos of child pornography on his phone.  

He pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 10 years in prison – with one year to serve.

(AL.COM/www.al.com)