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Man arrested for child exploitation
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A Covington man was been charged with over 100 counts of child exploitation after a technician found graphic images on his computer.

John Kenneth Horton, 33, reportedly took his computer to a local store to be worked on. According to Covington Police Lt. Paul Dailey, Horton told the technicians not to go through his computer, but to just look at the problem he was having. However, the store's policy is to backup all information on computers just in case something goes wrong. It was during this process that the images were discovered.

Dailey said that a "red flag" went up for the computer store employees when Horton was adamant that they not go through his computer, and that they contact the police department as soon as the images started to appear.

Because Horton works as a truck driver, detectives were anxious to get the computer to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's forensic examiners to be looked. Although there are currently 104 charges of sexual exploitation of children, Dailey said in the end they are likely looking at thousands of charges - one for every image on the computer.

According to Georgia law, "It is unlawful for any person knowingly to possess or control any material which depicts a minor or a portion of a minor's body engaged in any sexually explicit conduct... any person who violates a provision of this code section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than five nor more than 20 years and by a fine of not more than $100,000."

Horton was arrested and bonded out the next day.

Eastside High School announces Top 10 graduates for Class of 2025
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Eastside High School has announced the names of the top ten graduates of the Class of 2025. Leading the way are valedictorian, Ian White, and salutatorian, Malachi Scharf. Each of the top ten graduates have exciting prospects ahead of them as they prepare for life after high school.

Eastside High School’s 2025 Top 10 Graduates are:

• Ian White—The valedictorian, Ian plans to attend college and obtain a doctorate in chemical engineering. He selected Mr. Elijah Clark as his top teacher.

• Malachi Scharf—The salutatorian, Malachi plans to major in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. He chose Mr. Michael Poor as his favorite teacher.

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Malachi Scharf (left) and Ian White (right) are Eastside High School’s 2025 Salutatorian and Valedictorian. - photo by Courtesy of Newton County School System

• Kaiden Blazina—Kaiden plans to attend Georgia College and State University to study biology with plans to become an anesthesiologist or a missionary. Kaiden selected Mrs. Haley Dawkins as his honored teacher.

• Abby Malcom—Abby will be attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the fall to major in agribusiness. Her goal is to run a floral business. She selected Ms. Sara Beth Hammond as her top teacher.

• Shelby Moore—Shelby plans to attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to pursue a degree in agricultural education. She selected Ms. Alisa Echols as her top teacher.

• Annalie Parker—Annalie will attend Georgia College & State University with plans to obtain a doctorate and pursue a career in the scientific field. She selected Dr. Catrina Pollard as her favorite teacher.

• Chandler Shurtz—Chandler plans to attend Georgia Tech to study industrial engineering. He selected Mrs. Kelly Elder as his honored teacher.

• Robby Thomas, Jr.—Robby will attend Georgia Tech to study aerospace engineering and astrophysics. His goal is to work for NASA. Robby chose Ms. Kayla Stoddard as his honored teacher.

• Anna Underwood—Anna is attending Georgia State Perimeter to study her core classes with plans to transfer to the University of Georgia. Her career goal is to become an elementary school teacher. She selected Mr. Eric Adams as her top teacher.

• Benjamin Weaver—Benjamin is attending Newberry College to play soccer and study in their pre-vet program before moving on to veterinary school. He selected Mr. Caleb Watson as his honored teacher