Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators charged an Oakwood man with child pornography-related offenses on Tuesday morning, April 11, following the execution of a search warrant at his home.
Investigators arrested Austin Michael Pope, 21, following the search of his residence on Ben Hill Drive. During the search, investigators seized several of Pope’s electronic devices, which were processed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACCU).
According to the investigation, on Dec. 14, 2022, Pope transmitted video of a child between the ages of 8 and 10 being sexually abused by a man. Pope is charged with two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for possessing and distributing the video through his Snapchat account.
Investigators found no evidence the video was produced locally or involved a local victim.
Tuesday’s arrest culminated the HCSO and Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigation that began on Friday, March 24, 2023, when investigators received a cybertip about the crime from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Pope remained in the Hall County Jail without bond on Wednesday morning, April 12. Investigators do not anticipate additional charges in the case.
