TPD Officer Arrested For Child Porn After MeetMe App Reported Explicit Communications

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A digital messenger app was the first to report to authorities sexually explicit communications involving children by a Tuscaloosa Police officer, court documents obtained by Patch Tuesday claim.

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As Patch previously reported, 35-year-old Corey Nicholas Burcham resigned as a TPD patrol officer in the days before he was charged Monday afternoon with 10 counts of possession of material related to child sexual abuse.

A deposition filed Tuesday in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court says that on or about Sept. 25, 2024, MeetMe Inc. — the owners of a messenger app that is used by many for online dating — acted in accordance with its terms of service when it initiated a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children related to child sex trafficking.

The report contained one digital file — a chat log and transcript — that was eventually traced back to Burcham, who had worked as a patrol officer for TPD since January 2019 until his resignation last week.

The transcript alleged to show Burcham apparently soliciting child sexual abuse material several times from the other party involved in the chat.

The requests are graphic and quite specific with reference to age, including one sexually explicit mention of an 11-year-old girl. Court documents show a subpoena was also submitted to Charter Communications in reference to the IP address associated with login activity on the app, with the return IP indicating an address associated with Burcham's home in Northport.

A search warrant was then executed for Burcham's cell phone, with investigators recovering numerous graphic images of adults sexually abusing small children ranging in age from infants and toddlers to prepubescent children.

Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley and several TPD officers then took Burcham into custody Monday afternoon at his home.

"When we first learned of these allegations last week, we began the necessary procedures that will ensure he never works as a police officer again," Blankley said Monday. "We have zero tolerance for actions that undermine the public trust and harm children. The individual involved no longer serves in any capacity with the department."

Burcham remains in the Tuscaloosa County Jail and has been denied bond.

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