State officials have charged two Hartwell men after an investigation into the sexual exploitation of children.
On Thursday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of Jessie Wayne Shumake, 24, and Dwayne Ray Fleming, 34, both of Hartwell.
Both arrests occurred Tuesday, April 7.
Shumake is charged with two counts counts of sexual exploitation of children, four counts of aggravated child molestation, and two counts of child molestation, said GBI spokeswoman Natalie Ammons.
“This [Shumake] arrest was the result of a GBI investigation into the possible sexual exploitation of children by Shumake via an online service,” Ammons said.
Fleming is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of children for the distribution of child pornography, said GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles.
"The [Fleming] arrest was made with assistance from the Hart County Sheriff’s Office," Miles wrote. "This arrest came after an investigation was conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) into the possible sexual exploitation of children by Fleming via an online service."
Shumake and Fleming are currently being held at the Hart County Jail awaiting a bond hearing in the unrelated cases, said Sheriff Mike Cleveland..
The GBI asked anyone with information about the cases to contact the agency's Child Exploitation Unit at (404) 270-8870.
The investigations are 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 and the online sexual exploitation of children.
AccessWDUN's Rob Moore contributed to this news story.
