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The Interim Chair in Tennessee Tech’s College of Engineering is wanted by authorities for charges accusing him of possessing child pornography.
District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway said a Putnam County grand jury indictment accuses Dr. Omar Elkeelany of possessing more than 100 images that depict minors engaged in sexual activity.
Dunaway said when officers attempted to arrest Elkeelany, they discovered that he likely left the area or fled outside the United States.
According to a press release from the office of the 13th Judicial District, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cybertip about photographic files containing child pornography in the area.
The release stated that Cookeville Police investigators managed to gather sufficient evidence to secure a warrant, authorizing the search and seizure of computers and offices used by Elkeelany on the campus of TTU.
Investigators analyzed computers and digital media belonging to Elkeelany and found the presence of child pornography, according the press release.
Elkeelany, an engineering professor at the university, was indicted by a grand jury on Monday, October 1st, 2018. The indictment found probable cause to issue charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class B felony.
Dunaway said case investigators are working with federal law enforcement authorities to locate and apprehend Elkeelany.
Law enforcement officials are now asking for the assistance of the public. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Dr. Elkeelany is asked to immediately contact the Criminal Investigation Division of the Cookeville Police Department or District Attorney’s Office.
