Hartwell, GA (December 3, 2020) – On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, Hart County resident, Loyd Lewis, age 57, was charged with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) in violation of O.C.G.A 16-12-100(b)(8) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. While being investigated for narcotics by the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Lewis was found to be in possession of child pornography. This led the Hart County Sheriff’s Office to request the GBI CEACC Unit to investigate Lewis for the sexual exploitation of children. An investigation by the CEACC Unit led to the sexual exploitation of children charges brought against Lewis. 

Lewis was booked into the Hart County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Contact

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lindsay Marchant

[email protected]