Last Comic Standing winner is arrested on child porn charges after police received online tip

Former Last Comic Standing winner Jon Reep has been arrested on multiple child sexual exploitation charges. Reep, 53, was arrested on Friday in Hickory, North Carolina, the Hickory Police Department announced. According to police, the comedian was arrested in response to an online tip they received back in April of this year.

The Daily Mail has contacted Reep and his representative for comment, but has not yet received a response. Reep was arrested three days after he was indicted on September 2 by the Catawba County District Attorney’s Office on nine counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and a single count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to TMZ.

The charges from the grand jury were reportedly all related to child sexual abuse materials.

According to police, the investigation into Reep was launched after a referral from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which received an Internet Crimes Against Children cyber tip in April.

The tip reportedly pointed authorities toward an online account that belonged to the stand-up star. An incident report filled out by police in April, after the tip was received, listed alleged ‘Obscene Material/Pornography — Exploit Children’ in relation to the online account.

Police said Officers were able to obtain a warrant to search the location that the account’s IP address was linked to, and electronic devices at the location were seized as part of the search.

Reep was reportedly arrested at his home just after noon on Friday, and he is currently being held at the Catawba County Detention Facility.

A judge set the television actor’s bail at $260,000, and he is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Monday, September 8, according to WCNC Charlotte.

Since his arrest, Reep’s personal website detailing his touring schedule appears to have gone dark, though the website for his podcast Carolina Reeper is still accessible as of Friday evening.

The comedian was previously scheduled for a comedy show on Friday night at the Paramount Theatre in Goldsboro, North Carolina.