A Gainesville man faces 100 additional counts of sexual exploitation of children following forensic processing of a laptop computer seized from his home earlier this month.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators obtained the new arrest warrants for Clayton Henry Hardy, 34, on Friday, Feb. 28. The additional counts are for pornographic images located on Hardy’s laptop, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hardy has remained in the Hall County Jail since his initial arrest on Feb. 18. He was originally charged with 11 counts of child sexual exploitation after a cyber tip led law enforcement to him.
Within 24 hours of receiving that tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), investigators executed a search warrant at Hardy’s home in the 3000 block of Pinedale Lane in Hall County. According to the initial investigation, Hardy possessed images of children between the approximate ages of five and 12 engaged in sex acts and lewd displays of their bodies. The sheriff’s office says the images were saved on an electronic device.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch praised investigators’ quick response in the case.
“Our Investigators display a great deal of excellence on a daily basis, but the work on this particular case demonstrates the commitment they have to protecting children,” Couch says. “A turnaround time of one day from tip to arrest just affirms the dedication our personnel have to the safety of the community.”
Hardy is also charged with possession of methamphetamine.
