MACON, Ga. — A former Central State Prison inmate pleaded guilty in federal court after investigators said they found child sexual abuse material on an altered J Pay tablet while he was in prison.
Timothy Jock Knight, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Mark Treadwell on Sept. 3.
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According to court documents and statements referenced in court, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation got a Cybertip from Instagram in 2021 about the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Investigators said the Instagram account “timknight444” uploaded two images depicting child sexual abuse material. The tip included Knight’s profile picture and driver’s license.
The GBI found Knight was serving a state sentence for attempted child molestation from Columbia County and was housed at Central State Prison. Records said he had been scheduled for release in January 2027.
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Investigators got search warrant results for Knight’s Instagram account and collected two J Pay tablets at the prison.
Officials said one tablet was in Knight’s locker and had been altered but did not contain child sexual abuse material. Investigators found the second tablet with Knight when they confiscated it, and they confirmed it had been altered and contained child sexual abuse material.
Investigators also found Google search history on the device for information on abusing, trafficking and raping children.
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They found 3,410 unique artifacts of child sexual abuse material, including images of prepubescent children, and said most of the images came from five different video series.
“It is deeply troubling that, even while serving time for child molestation, this individual continued to seek out and view child sexual abuse material and research ways to harm children,” U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes said.
“There are few crimes more egregious than those perpetrated against children and in this case the defendant proved he remains a danger to the community, even from a prison cell,” Rob Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office, said.
Sentencing for Knight is set for Dec. 1. He faces 10 to 20 years in prison, a maximum lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.