Griffin, GA (May 13, 2022) – On Thursday, May 5, 2022, Brandon Smith, age 29, of Spalding County, Georgia, was charged with 2 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) and 2 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit.

The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Smith’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 led to a search warrant at Smith’s residence in Spalding County, Georgia, and his subsequent arrest.  Smith was found in Jasper County, Georgia, at the time of his arrest, but was directly taken to the Spalding County Jail.  The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office assisted with this case.   

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 Unit at 404-270-8870.

Anonymous 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.