For Immediate Release

Crawfordville Resident Arrested on Child Porn Related Charges

THOMSON– As a result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the GBI, Jesse Scott Ward, 27, of Crawfordville, was arrested Sunday in Thomson for violation of the Georgia Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Act.

Ward was arrested at 2:30am on Sunday in the parking lot of a business on Washington Road in Thomson. He was transported to the McDuffieCountyDetentionCenter where he is being held pending the outcome of a bond hearing this afternoon.

A tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and forwarded to the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at the GBI led to the investigation of Ward. The FBI's Innocent Images Task Force played a critical role in this investigation. For more information on the FBI Task Force, go to http://www.fbi.gov/publications/innocent.htm.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) is a multi-jurisdictional task force that investigates and prosecutes individuals who use the Internet to exploit children. The task force is funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and administered through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI’s administration of the ICAC Task Force is in keeping one of the mandates established by Governor Perdue’s Child Safety Initiative.

As the joint FBI and GBI investigation continues, additional charges are possible.

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Contact Information:

GBI Public Affairs - 404-270-8330