Carrollton, GA (April 14, 2023) – On Thursday, April 13, 2023, Gary Bennett, 76, of Carrollton, was arrested and charged with ten counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children by the Carrollton Police Department’s Cyber Crime Unit.
As members of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, this investigation is part of the ongoing effort to identify those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material. The ICAC Program, created by the U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.
Investigators began an investigation into Bennett’s online activity after receiving CyberTipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possible online possession of child sexual abuse material (commonly referred to as child pornography). This investigation led to a search of Bennett’s devices where files of CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material)
were located. Based upon these findings, Bennett was arrested.
Carrollton Police Department is committed to protecting the community, especially its most vulnerable members. The possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material is a serious crime that harms children and will not be tolerated. We urge anyone with information regarding similar criminal activity to contact Carrollton Police Department’s Cyber Crime Unit at 770-834-4451 or by going to NCMEC’s tip line at CyberTipline.org