Tip leads to arrest for child porn
Posted/updated on: December 14, 2025 at 5:11 am
LINDALE — Investigators with the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested a Lindale man Tuesday following an online tip from X Corp, formerly known as Twitter.
According to our news partner KETK, the tip indicated that an individual had posted and sent direct messages soliciting child pornography in exchange for pornographic pictures of a minor in his family, Smith County arrest papers revealed. Some messages also included a video depicting an adult assaulting a child believed to be 12 to 14 years old.
Investigators traced one of the X accounts’ IP addresses to Lindale and obtained a search warrant for the resident’s home. An email linked to the account identified the suspect as Joshua Zane Attaway. On Tuesday, Smith County officials arrived at Attaway’s residence, where he was sitting outside. Attaway was interviewed, where he admitted to owning the X account and allegedly sending the messages.
“Joshua admitted to making the posts…regarding the trading of child sexual assault media (CSAM),” arrest papers revealed. “Joshua admitted to sending media files with other X users in exchange for CSAM.”
Records show Attaway also admitted to having more child pornography content on his phone. He was later arrested and booked on two counts of possession or promotion of child pornography, with a bond set at $500,000.
