GAINESVILLE, GA - CHRISTOPHER THOMAS DAVIS, 32, of Dahlonega, Georgia, was indicted on September 20, 2011, for production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.  DAVIS previously had an initial appearance on a criminal complaint before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan S. Cole and was detained pending trial following preliminary and detention hearings on September 1, 2011.  Today DAVIS was arraigned on the charges contained in the indictment.  Before he was arrested, DAVIS was a deputy sheriff at the White County, Georgia Sheriff's Office.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “It is a sad day when a member of law enforcement is charged with violating laws he is sworn to uphold, a day made far sadder because the victim is a young child whose life is forever changed. This defendant is charged not only with possessing sexually explicit images of children, but also with creating those images.  He will now be held to account for his actions.”

“This case is especially disturbing given the defendant held a position of public trust as a member of the law enforcement community,” said Brock Nicholson, Special Agent in Charge of ICE-HSI in Atlanta. “Working together with our law enforcement partners, ICE-HSI will continue to aggressively use its broad investigative authorities to identify and arrest any individual who seeks to sexually exploit children.”

According to United States Attorney Yates and the information contained in public documents: Between May 18, 2009 and June 25, 2009, DAVIS took photographs of a seven-year female engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The photographs were taken inside DAVIS' home in Dahlonega, Georgia.  At that time, and at the time of his arrest, DAVIS was employed as a Sheriff's Deputy with the White County Sheriff's Office.  On August 25, 2011, federal agents executed a search warrant at DAVIS's home where they found additional images of child pornography.

This case is being prosecuted as a priority of the Justice Department's Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorney's Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Assistant United States Attorney Jill E. Steinberg is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact Sally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney, or Charysse L. Alexander, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, through Patrick Crosby, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.

 

 

 

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