Photo: Catawba County Sheriff's Office
Former Last Comic Standing winner Jon Reep was arrested on accusations of child sex crimes, WSOC-TV reports.
Reep, 53, was charged with one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and nine counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The comedian was arrested at his Hickory, North Carolina, home on Friday (September 6) after police received a cyber tip regarding an account belonging to him that was used on an unspecified online app.
Reep is accused of sexual exploitation of minors between the ages of one and 14 years old, according to court documents obtained by WSOC-TV. A search warrant was issued at the location associated with the IP address linked to the account, which led authorities to Reep's home and resulted in his arrest.
Electronic devices were seized and are being analyzed for any additional online communications amid the ongoing investigation. Hickory is a small town with an estimated population of just over 44,000.
“[Reep was] not only very well known, but very well liked,” said resident Michael Swink via WSOC-TV. “It’s a shock to hear he would have those charged against him."
Reep won the fifth season of Last Comic Standing and had appeared on the sitcoms Curb Your Enthusiasm and Black-ish. The comedian was scheduled to perform at the Paramount Theater in Goldsboro, North Carolina, prior to his arrest, according to PEOPLE.
Reep reportedly posted an undetermined bond shortly after his arrest on Friday.