JOHNSON COUNTY, Ga. – A significant arrest has been made as part of the ongoing battle against child exploitation in Georgia. Jacob Fields, a 19-year-old resident of Emanuel County, faces 20 charges for sexual exploitation of children, specifically for possessing child sexual abuse material. This arrest follows a collaborative investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The investigation into Fields began on December 2nd when Johnson County Sheriff’s Investigator Troy Fallin, who is actively involved with the Georgia ICAC Task Force (Internet Crimes Against Children), delved into a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip suggested potential online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse content.

A week later, on December 9th, law enforcement officers from Johnson County, Emanuel County, and the GBI executed a search warrant at Fields’s residence on Cow Ford Bridge Road. The search confirmed the presence of explicit images involving minors, leading to Fields’s immediate arrest.

Officials have emphasized that this arrest is a part of a broader initiative by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, and the GBI’s Georgia ICAC Task Force. Their concerted efforts aim to root out those engaged in the reprehensible trade of child pornography, thereby safeguarding vulnerable children from exploitation.

That searched revealed that Fields was in possession of explicit images containing children. He was arrested at that time.

Authorities said that this investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, and GBI Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade.

Anyone with information about these cases, or other cases of child exploitation, is asked to contact Investigator Troy Fallin with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at 478-864-4003.

“This is sickening to me and it will not be tolerated,” said Sheriff Greg Rowland. “Our children should be protected at all costs. County lines have no boundaries when protecting them. This suspect selfishly exploited children and will now pay the consequences for his disgusting behavior. I commend our Investigators, Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI for their thorough investigation and arrest of this individual.”