by Robin Kemp

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the Clayton County Sheriff’s Fugitive Squad arrested a Rex man on four counts of sexual exploitation of children June 8 after executing a search warrant at his home.

Joseph Leonard Adams, 32, of Saganaw Drive, was arrested in connection with an investigation underway by GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit.

The GBI says the investigation is based on “a report received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) pertaining to the upload of numerous images depicting child pornography to a social media site.”

Clayton County Jail records show Adams was granted $40,000 in property bonds and $4,800 in fees and remains in custody as of press time.

Recent child exploitation arrests

The GBI has been involved with two similar arrests in the area recently.

On April 29, Vincent Raymond Hughes, 30, of Forest Park, was arrested on Thurman Road after he allegedly leaped from a second-floor window trying to escape CCSO deputies. Hughes is being held in the Clayton County Jail on two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of false information or failing to register as a sex offender. According to Sheriff Victor Hill, the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC) allegedly “found Hughes uploading child pornography onto social media sites with children as young as 5 years old.” Hill also alleged that Hughes had confessed to sex crimes against children and that Hughes also was wanted in Douglas County on similar charges. He remains in the Clayton County Jail and no bond had been set as of press time.

On May 14, the GBI said it had arrested Joshua Isiah Mapson, 24, of Bimini Drive in Forest Park, and charged him with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of children after they say Mapson used “an online service” featuring child pornography. Mapson was granted $100,000 in property bonds and $12,000 in fees and remains in custody as of press time.

Being charged with a crime is not the same as having been convicted of that crime. Georgia has 33,606 convicted sex offenders according to the GBI’s latest count, of which 4,719 are behind bars and 7,349 were convicted in another state.

Convicted sex offenders in surrounding counties include:

  • Clayton: 508
  • Cobb: 476
  • Fulton: 1,589
  • Dekalb: 1,000
  • Douglas: 239
  • Henry: 220
  • Fayette: 53

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. 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 pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

How you can help

Anyone with information about this or other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at (404) 270-8870.

Anyone with information about this or other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at (404) 270-8870.

You also can report child pornography, online enticement of children for sex acts, molestation of children outside the family, sex tourism of children, child victims of prostitution, and unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, either online at www.cybertipline.com or by calling (800) 843-5678.

The U.S. Department of Justice created the ICAC Task Force Program “to help state and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative response to offenders who use the Internet, online communication systems, or other technology to sexually exploit children.”

ICAC offers age-appropriate “Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship” presentations to any church, school, or civic group. Just fill out the form online at http://www.gaicactaskforce.com/request-a-presentation.html .

To see a list of convicted sex offenders and absconders near you, visit http://state.sor.gbi.ga.gov/Sort_Public/

Learn how to stop child abuse before it starts and download a free community guide at at preventchildabusega.org.