COVINGTON, Ga. — The GBI has announced a second Newton County arrest on charges related to the possession and distribution of child pornography.
Covington resident Cesar Valenzuela, 19, was arrested by the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit and charged with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, including the possession of child pornography.
A news release stated, "The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Valenzuela’s online activity after receiving multiple cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating Valenzuela was uploading child sexual abuse material using popular online platforms."
It stated that the CEACC Unit, with help from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at Valenzuela's residence Thursday, May 20.
"A search of Valenzuela’s residence and the preview of electronic devices produced evidence that led to the arrest of Valenzuela on the same date," the GBI stated in its release.
Valenzuela was taken into custody and booked into the Newton County Jail Thursday, May 20 — the same day Covington resident Jeremy Mimbs was taken into custody on similar charges, according to jail records.
Mimbs, 40, was charged with four counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children and remained in the Newton County Jail today, May 24.
The unit began an investigation into Mimbs’ online activity after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating Mimbs was uploading child sexual abuse material using a popular online platform, the GBI stated last week.
On Thursday, May 20, GBI agents, with assistance from the Covington Police Department, executed a search warrant at Mimbs' residence and used the same methods as in the alleged case against Valenzuela to gather evidence, a GBI release stated.
Mimbs was taken into custody and booked into the Newton County Jail. A bond was set at $40,000.
The investigations were part of an ongoing GBI task force effort to identify suspects in the child pornography trade, according to the GBI.
It is also part of a program developed by the U.S. Department of Justice, called Internet Crimes against Children, that was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teens using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims, according to the GBI.
Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the GBI Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870. 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.
