An Eatonton man has been arrested for sexual exploitation of children, authorities say.
Jason Hicks, 55, of Eatonton, was arrested Thursday, July 23, and charged with eight felony counts of possession or control of any material depicting a minor in sexually explicit conduct, according to Putnam County Jail records. Hicks is being held without bond.
An investigation of Hicks’ online activity began in May by the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. GBI Special Agent in Charge Renea Green said the CEACC had received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
A search warrant was served at Hicks’ home on Denham Road, and the findings led to his arrest, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said. The sheriff’s office and the GBI Cyber Crime Center assisted with the investigation.
The investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the GBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to identify those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material. Created by the U.S. Dept. of Justice, the ICAC program 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 should contact the GBI CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870, or Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 706-485-8557. Or submit a tip online at cybertipline.org.
Anonymous tips can be made by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.