Newton County Man Charged for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Covington, GA (May 2, 2022) – On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Pedro Lopez, Jr., age 63, of Newton County, GA, was charged with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. Lopez, Jr. was in custody at the Newton County Jail on unrelated charges when he was charged. The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Lopez, Jr.’s online activity after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the online possession of images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The investigation revealed the identity of the subject, Pedro Lopez Jr., which subsequently led to the charges. The GBI was assisted in this case by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

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 sexual abuse material, 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.